NEW YORK: Nine Southeast Asian nations have proposed watering down a United Nations General Assembly draft resolution on Myanmar, including removing a call for an arms embargo on the country, in a bid to win the unanimous support of the 193-member body.
Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam wrote to Liechtenstein, which drafted the resolution, after a planned vote last week was postponed at the last minute.
In the letter dated May 19 and seen by Reuters on Friday (May 28), the Southeast Asian countries said the draft "cannot command the widest possible support in its current form, especially from all countries directly affected in the region" and that further negotiations are needed "to make the text acceptable, especially to the countries most directly affected and who are now engaged in efforts to resolve the situation".
"It is also our firm conviction that if a General Assembly resolution on the situation in Myanmar is to be helpful to countries in ASEAN, then it needs to be adopted by consensus," the countries wrote, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
The letter was from all of the ASEAN nations except Myanmar.
The draft resolution calls for "an immediate suspension of the direct and indirect supply, sale or transfer of all weapons and munitions" to Myanmar. The Southeast Asian countries want that language removed.
General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding but carry political weight. Unlike the 15-member Security Council, no country has veto power in the General Assembly.
Myanmar has been in crisis since the army ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government on Feb 1 and detained her and officials of her National League for Democracy party.
While the Southeast Asian countries want the draft UN resolution to express deep concern about their detention, instead of condemning it the text would call for their immediate and unconditional release.
A spokesman for ASEAN did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
ASEAN is leading the diplomatic effort to end bloodshed in Myanmar and promote dialogue between the junta and its opponents.
Earlier this month, more than 200 civil society groups, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, urged the UN Security Council to impose an arms embargo on Myanmar.
Only the UN Security Council can impose legally binding sanctions or an arms embargo, but diplomats have said Russia and China could likely use their veto to prevent such action on Myanmar.
BANGKOK: When Dr Deo Florence Onda found himself more than 10,000m below the surface, in the third deepest trench on the planet, he was on the lookout for mysteries hidden in the darkness.
The Emden Deep, part of the Philippine Trench, is one of Earth’s final frontiers, an unexplored section of one of the oldest seabeds in the world. Until just a couple of months ago, no human had ever been there.
The 33-year-old microbial oceanologist from the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute considers himself “very adventurous” - despite being from the tropics, he completed his doctoral studies on the North Pole. But this was something entirely different.
The deep-sea submersible DSV Limiting Factor begins its descent towards the Emden Deep. (Image: Verola Media/Caladan Oceanic)
Deep-sea adventures are rare and complex, making them akin to venturing into outer space.
“The feeling itself, no one can prepare for it. You don’t know what to expect. It was really the mental preparation, being in a small submersible without freaking out while you’re diving and saying goodbye to the world,” he recounted.
Over a 12-hour period in March, Onda and American explorer Victor Vescovo from Caladan Oceanic, a private organisation dedicated to advancing undersea technology, descended and explored the trench, hoping for just a glimpse of life below.
“If you look at the Philippine Trench, the first description was in the 1950s and then the more detailed one was in the 1970s. The technology then was not that good yet, or accurate. It was an opportunity for us to see what’s happening down there, which has never been seen before,” Onda said.
The pair initially thought they had spotted a jellyfish, which was in fact a floating plastic bag. (Image: Verola Media/Caladan Oceanic)
“When we were about to reach the bottom I was expecting to see scary, crawling things sneaking in or peeking into the windows.”
Instead, what greeted them in the depths was something far more familiar - something that had also travelled from above the surface.
“There was one funny scene when we were exploring the area. There was one white material floating around. I was saying ‘Victor, that’s a jellyfish’. We went there and approached and it was just plastic.
“The only unusual thing there was the garbage. There was a lot of garbage in the trench. There were a lot of plastics, a pair of pants, a shirt, a teddy bear, packaging and a lot of plastic bags. Even me, I did not expect that, and I do research on plastics,” he said.
The trench was lined with plastic waste and other trash. (Image: Verola Media/Caladan Oceanic)
“Seeing it for the first time was a privilege as a human being, representing 106 million Filipinos and billions of people of the world. But being a witness to the extent of pollution, and being a witness to the gravity of the plastics problem from the surface to the bottom of the ocean, is another thing.
“It becomes my responsibility to tell people that their garbage doesn't stay where they put it. It goes somewhere else and it will sink.”
What was originally planned to be a scientific research mission had to be changed to a purely record-setting trip, due to the COVID pandemic and bureaucratic difficulties in securing permission for further deepwater study.
Still, he said this endeavour gave him fascinating insights and a platform to detail the issues facing the deep-sea environment, an area that is difficult to research in the Philippines due to logistics and costs.
Dr Onda and Victor Vescovo celebrate reaching the third deepest point on Earth. (Image: Verola Media/Caladan Oceanic)
Onda’s main research focus is on the life cycle and role of microorganisms, such as phytoplankton, which help produce oxygen and are among the main drivers of energy and biomass build-up in the marine ecosystem.
The discovery of plastic in the trench was shocking for Onda, who is concerned that the transboundary nature of plastic spread in the oceans is having unknown but profound consequences on marine ecosystems, and in effect, on the very foundations of life on the planet.
“Microorganisms are the main drivers of carbon storage, which then drives climate change. When phytoplankton consume carbon, taking carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, they convert it into particulate organic matter that sinks to the bottom of the ocean and gets stored for millions of years,” he said.
Dr Onda described tracks on the seafloor, which he believed belonged to living organisms. (Image: Verola Media/Caladan Oceanic)
“We actually do not know the extent of biodiversity in these deep-sea environments. We do not know yet the full extent of their roles in terms of biogeochemical processes, how they regulate the weather and the climate. But we are already changing it. I don’t see it stopping soon.”
Studies show that the deeper layers of the ocean are warming at a slower pace than the surface. Yet for wildlife and organisms in these environments, exposure to climate warming may be more severe and pose greater risks.
Meantime, how trash reaches the most remote depths, through various different water densities and great distances, still requires more research. But it is proof that the ocean is a continuum where impacts know no boundaries.
Dr Onda wants his mission to inspire more Filipinos to care about science and the conservation of marine environments. (Image: Verola Media/Caladan Oceanic)
While Onda wishes he could have learnt more from his journey, he admits it was still an unparalleled chance to promote Philippine science and deepen his own understanding of the region.
“As an oceanographer and professor myself, most of the things I teach in the books were made by western scholars. But seeing it myself was like a fairytale ... each and every page of my oceanography book coming into reality,” he said.
“I was seeing how light dissipates with depth. I was seeing how pressure increases which then decreases temperatures and all of these physics and chemistry and biology of oceanography coming into reality. It was a fantasy for me.”
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will close all economic and social sectors by implementing a "total lockdown” throughout the country.
The first phase of the lockdown will last from Jun 1 to Jun 14. This move was announced in a media statement posted on Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s Facebook page on Friday (May 28) night.
Only essential economic and service sectors listed by the National Security Council will be allowed to operate during Phase 1 of the lockdown, said the statement issued by Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
“This decision was made after taking into account the current situation of COVID-19 transmission in Malaysia with daily case numbers exceeding 8,000 and active cases exceeding 70,000,” the statement read.
More than 2,550 people in Malaysia have died from the disease.
The emergence of more virulent COVID-19 variants also influenced the National Security Council's decision to implement the lockdown.
With the sharp rise in the daily number of COVID-19 cases, hospitals' capacity to treat patients throughout the country are "becoming more limited", the statement added.
If the phase 1 total lockdown is successful in reducing daily COVID-19 cases, the government will implement a four-week phase 2 lockdown by allowing the reopening of a few economic sectors that do not involve large gatherings.
Phase 2 lockdown will last four weeks.
“Once the phase 2 lockdown ends, the next step is phase 3, which is implementing a movement control order (MCO) similar to the current one in effect, where social activities are not allowed and nearly all economic sectors are allowed to operate subject to strict standard operating procedures and limited physical presence at workplaces,” the PMO said.
However, the decision to move from one phase to the next will be subject to the health ministry’s risk assessment, and will be based on the daily caseloads and the hospitals' capacity to treat COVID-19 patients.
The government will ensure the Malaysian public health system will not crumble and that support and assistance will be given to the health ministry to increase hospital capacity, said the PMO.
“The government will also increase the number of vaccine deliveries in the space of the next few weeks in the effort to develop herd immunity in the country.
“As a result of the government’s decision to execute full economic and social shutdown, the finance ministry will detail assistance packages for the people and affected economic sectors,” PMO stated, adding these would be announced in the very near future.
PMO's announcement came as Malaysia set a COVID-19 case record for the fourth straight day with 8,290 new infections, bringing the national total past 549,000.
Sixty-one more COVID-19 fatalities, aged between 27 and 92 were reported, pushing Malaysia's death toll to 2,552.
A nationwide MCO dubbed MCO 3.0 was reimposed in May, when all economic sectors were allowed to operate but people were encouraged to practise "self-lockdown".
Amid calls for the government to impose a full lockdown as cases remained high, the government had announced tightened curbs that mandated more employees to work from home and business operating hours to be shortened.
KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia will go into a total nationwide lockdown for all social and economic sectors from next Tuesday (June 1) to June 14.
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's announcement on Friday (May 28) comes as the country reported 8,290 new coronavirus cases that day, its fourth straight day of record infections. This brings the total cumulative cases since the start of the pandemic to 549,514.
Only essential economic sectors and services will be allowed to operate, Tan Sri Muhyiddin said.
“This decision was made after taking into account the current situation of the Covid-19 outbreak in Malaysia with daily cases surpassing 8,000 and over 70,000 active cases,” he said in a statement.
“As of today, 2,552 have passed away from this pandemic, and the number of deaths is increasing. The presence of more aggressive variants with higher infectivity also influenced today’s decision.”
Malaysia reported 61 deaths from the virus on Friday, matching a previous peak recorded on Monday. This is the first month since the pandemic began last year that more than 1,000 lives have been lost.
The Premier on Friday also outlined an exit strategy from the total shutdown, should it succeed in reducing the number of new Covid-19 cases.
A second phase lasting four weeks will follow, which will allow more sectors to reopen, provided these activities do not involve large gatherings.
Should the situation improve further, restrictions will be further eased under a third phase. This will be similar to current movement control rules, where most economic activities - subject to standard operating procedures (SOP)and health protocols - will resume, while social activities will still be barred.
“The decision to shift from one phase to the next will be subject to a risk assessment by the Health Ministry. This will be based on the development of daily cases and hospital capacity nationwide,” Mr Muhyiddin said.
Friday's announcement did not outline specific regulations. It is expected that the National Security Council will decide on these over the weekend and issue new SOPs ahead of their implementation on Tuesday.
Given the impact of the lockdown, the Prime Minister said that the Finance Ministry will develop an aid package for the public and affected economic sectors.
Malaysia had hoped its economy would recover to pre-coronavirus levels with up to 7.5 per cent growth this year, having experienced a 5.6 decline last year, the worst since the 1998 Asian Financial Crisis.
KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's increasingly deadly coronavirus surge is stretching its medical resources, with critical wards filling up and some patients being turned away or experiencing long waits.
But there are signs that families of non-Covid-19 patients are beginning to have to make such decisions about their loved ones amid the crisis.
A healthcare worker at a key hospital in Kuala Lumpur said that some patients requiring critical care have had to be turned away.
"We try to accommodate all but not always we have ventilators and beds," the front-liner, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Straits Times.
He related an incident where a critically ill non-Covid-19 patient's family was told to opt between bringing their loved one back home to die or keeping the patient in the hospital with the same outcome.
Families of Covid-19 patients are also facing a struggle to secure critical care beds for their loved ones.
A professional who recently lost her father, 85, to coronavirus-related complications, said that when he was diagnosed with Covid-19, it took the family more than 12 hours to secure a bed for him, at a semi-government hospital in Selangor, as the beds were full at all the hospitals that treated Covid-19 patients needing critical care.
The 51-year-old, who wished to be known only as Jane, told ST: "The doctor who was caring for my father called every hospital in the city to try and get a bed for him once the test result came back positive. It was a stressful time for us because he was also a dialysis patient."
The northern state of Kedah - which has seen a drastic surge in the past weeks - has said that it might no longer admit chronically ill patients with little hope into intensive care units (ICU), whether they are Covid-19 patients or not.
Dr Mohd Hayati Othman, the state's Health and Local Government executive councillor, said: "I feel heavy-hearted on whether to announce this, but I have to say it: In certain cases, doctors have to choose whom to send to the ICU, and if the patient is too chronically ill and has no hope, we won't admit them to the ICU."
Jane, whose father was very ill when he was in hospital, said: "Halfway through his treatment, the doctor treating him called me up and hinted that he (the father) might be taking an ICU bed that is sorely needed for someone else."
Malaysia has for the past week been reporting more than 50 deaths a day from the coronavirus. PHOTO: EPA-EFE
Malaysia is currently in the third week of a month-long lockdown - the third since the pandemic - to deal with the rising infection numbers.
In the central districts around the capital Kuala Lumpur, the rate of ICU usage for Covid-19 cases has already exceeded capacity at 113 per cent.
Figures released last week showed that 377 ICU beds were taken up by Covid-19 patients, despite only 334 beds being initially designated for such patients. This has left just over 70 vacant ICU beds for non-Covid-19 patients across 12 hospitals in Malaysia's most densely populated region. Nationwide, 83 per cent of all designated Covid-19 ICU beds were taken up.
As at Thursday, Malaysia has 771 Covid-19 patients in ICUs, with more than half of them requiring ventilator support - the highest number recorded to date.
The country has for the past week been reporting more than 50 deaths a day from Covid-19, reaching an all-time high of 61 deaths on Sunday.
On Thursday, Malaysia set a new record of 7,857 new infections, the third consecutive day of new record infections. Active cases have reached 69,408, the highest ever recorded.
HONG KONG: Jailed Hong Kong media tycoon and Beijing critic Jimmy Lai was given a new prison sentence of 14 months on Friday (May 28) over his role in an unauthorised assembly on Oct 1, 2019, during one of the city's pro-democracy rallies that year.
This month, Lai, who is serving a 14-month sentence for participating in similar demonstrations on Aug 18 and Aug 31, 2019, and nine other activists, pleaded guilty in District Court to organising an unauthorised assembly.
He has been in jail since December after being denied bail in a separate national security trial. He faces three charges under the new law, introduced by China in 2020 in response to the protests, including collusion with a foreign country.
Lai's repeated arrests have drawn criticism from Western governments and international rights groups, who raised concerns over waning freedoms in the global financial hub, including freedom of speech and assembly.
Beijing sees him as a traitor and an anti-China instigator.
China says the sweeping security law, which punishes anything Beijing considers as subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces with up to life in prison, was vital to restore stability and prosperity.
Judge Amanda Woodcock, who handed Lai his previous illegal assembly sentence in April, delivered the sentence on Friday. She said part of the new sentence would be served consecutively, meaning Lai faces a total of 20 months in prison so far.
There were major clashes on Oct 1, China's national day, including a live round shot by a policeman at a protester swinging a long stick, the first use of a handgun after months of demonstrations.
"They did call for a peaceful, rational and non-violent procession but how naive and unrealistic was that considering what was happening on a daily basis was the opposite," Woodcock said. "This is not with hindsight. The risk was very real every day at that time."
The other nine defendants, including activists Figo Chan, Lee Cheuk-yan, Albert Ho and Leung Kwok-hung, who is known in Hong Kong as Long Hair, were sentenced to up to 18 months. Two received suspended sentences.
"Your Honour, for over 40 years I have strived for democratic reform in China," Lee told the court this week during one of the hearings. "This is my unrequited love, the love for my country with such a heavy heart."
Activist Tsang Kin-shing, present at the court, condemned the "heavy" sentencing received by Long Hair, his colleague in the League of Social Democrats.
"We’re all trapped now in a prison city where freedom of expression is not allowed," Tsang told Reuters.
The sentence comes two weeks after authorities froze assets belonging to Lai, including bank accounts and his 71.26 per cent stake in media publisher Next Digital.
Hong Kong's security chief sent letters to Lai and branches of HSBC and Citibank this month threatening up to seven years in prison for any dealings with the billionaire's accounts in the city, according to documents seen by Reuters.
The moves could imperil any attempt by the democracy activist to move offshore assets back home to prop up Next Digital's troubled Apple Daily tabloid, a staunch government critic, one of Lai's financial advisers said.
