Ahmad Zahid claims sufficient UMNO MPs have withdrawn support for PM Muhyiddin; energy minister quits Cabinet - CNA

KUALA LUMPUR: United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi claimed on Tuesday (Aug 3) that he has gathered a sufficient number of statutory declarations (SDs) from party lawmakers who are withdrawing their support for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. 

As such, Mr Muhyiddin has lost his majority, he said.  

In an online press conference after a party supreme council meeting, Ahmad Zahid said the SDs have been presented to the king. 

"Sufficient number of SDs by UMNO MPs to express their withdrawal of support for Tan Sri Mahiaddin Md Yasin have been presented to the king, thus showing that his leadership has lost the majority, and he has lost his legitimacy as prime minister," he said. 

“Tan Sri Mahiaddin Md Yasin must take responsibility for the government's failure and its refusal to adhere with the king’s decree by resigning as prime minister honorably," Ahmad Zahid added.

Mahiaddin Md Yasin is the prime minister's official name, although he is widely known as Muhyiddin Yassin.

READ: Emergency ordinances to be tabled in parliament next month; repeal process was incomplete, says PM Muhyiddin 

About 10 MPs were seen standing behind Ahmad Zahid at the press conference, including former prime minister Najib Razak, deputy speaker of parliament Azalina Said Othman, UMNO secretary-general Ahmad Maslan and UMNO veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. 

Gesturing at them, Ahmad Zahid said they were among the party lawmakers who have signed the SDs. 

"There are a few more MPs who are not able to with us today as they are in their respective constituencies, especially those in Sabah," he said.

Earlier in the day, a minister from UMNO resigned from the Cabinet.

UMNO's Lenggong MP Shamsul Anuar Nasarah. (File photo: Bernama) 

Mr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah, who is Lenggong MP, said in a statement that he is stepping down as the energy and natural resources minister after taking party decisions into consideration. 

"In view of several decisions made by the party and the party's stances, I, as a loyal UMNO member, resign as a Cabinet member," said the UMNO supreme council member.

Mr Shamsul said he would focus on his duty as Lenggong MP after this and "help to strengthen the party in an increasingly challenging political situation."

Conflicts among component members in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government have been playing out in the open since last year. 

The tussle for leadership in Malaysia’s government saw a key development on Jul 7, when Mr Muhyiddin promoted UMNO MPs Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Hishammuddin Hussein to Malaysia’s deputy prime minister and senior minister respectively.

The appointments came amid renewed talks of UMNO considering pulling out of PN.

UMNO, a traditionally dominant party in Barisan Nasional, has 38 MPs, while Mr Muhyiddin's Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia - seen as a splinter of UMNO - has 31.

Just hours later, Ahmad Zahid, who was speaking at a virtual press conference after the party’s supreme council meeting, confirmed that UMNO has withdrawn its support for the PN government led by Mr Muhyiddin, and called for his resignation.

On Jul 14, the Cabinet members, including those with UMNO, issued a statement indicating that they have unanimously decided to continue throwing their support behind Mr Muhyiddin.

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2021-08-03 11:15:49Z
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South Korea on alert for new Delta Plus COVID-19 variant - CNA

SEOUL: South Korea has detected its first two cases of the new Delta Plus COVID-19 variant, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said on Tuesday (Aug 3), as the country battles with its fourth wave of infections nationwide.

The Delta Plus variant is a sub-lineage of the Delta variant first identified in India, and has acquired the spike protein mutation called K417N, which is also found in the Beta variant first identified in South Africa.

Reports of Delta Plus cases have been few so far, and a handful of countries, including Britain, Portugal and India, have reported some cases.

"The first case (in South Korea) was identified in a man in 40s who has no recent travel records," the KDCA told Reuters. The source of transmission is under investigation.

Test results in about 280 people who were in contact with the man found that only his son was positive too, Park Young-joon, a KDCA official told a briefing.

READ: South Korea experts call for more COVID-19 curbs as young, unvaccinated people fuel surge

Park said it was unclear whether the son was also infected with Delta Plus.

The second case was found in a traveller who returned from the United States. The person had been vaccinated with both shots of AstraZeneca before the trip, Park said.

Health authorities have said several major vaccines work against the highly contagious Delta variant, which has already become dominant in many countries, but have raised concern new strains may evade some vaccines.

Genetic analysis of 3,014 infections last week found 64 per cent were the Delta variant, KDCA data showed, a clear sign the variant has become the dominant strain in South Korea as well. Cases among the fully vaccinated remained low.

Some scientists have said the Delta Plus variant may be even more transmissible. Studies are ongoing in India and globally to test the effectiveness of vaccines against this mutation.

South Korea reported 1,202 new COVID-19 cases for Monday, raising the total to 202,203 infections, with 2,104 deaths.

READ: South Korea announces COVID-19 vaccination plan for 18 to 49 year olds

The country on Tuesday said it has given 20 million people, or 39 per cent of its population, at least one dose of a vaccine, while 14.1 per cent have been fully vaccinated.

South Korea aims to immunise at least 36 million people by September.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its developments

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2021-08-03 07:59:43Z
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Umno MPs withdraw support for Muhyiddin's government, one Cabinet minister quits - The Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s grip on power appeared increasingly in doubt on Tuesday (Aug 3) after Umno announced it was withdrawing support from the government and one of its Cabinet ministers quit.

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Shamsul Anuar Nasarah said that “as a loyal Umno member” he had to leave the Cabinet after the party’s instruction to withdraw support for Mr Muhyiddin last month.

“My focus after this is on my duties as Lenggong MP and to help strengthen the party in facing an increasingly challenging political situation,” he said in a brief statement.

The statement came as Umno, Malaysia’s largest party which provides the most MPs in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) pact, demanded the resignation of Tan Sri Muhyiddin following an open feud between the premier and the palace last week.

“To show our undivided loyalty to the King, the Umno Supreme Council unanimously withdraws support for the Perikatan Nasional government and Tan Sri Mahiaddin Yassin as Prime Minister,” Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told a news conference after a meeting of the party’s Supreme Council.

Besides the former deputy premier, 10 other Umno MPs, excluding Datuk Seri Shamsul, were in attendance at the press conference. This would indicate that Mr Muhyiddin no longer enjoys a majority in Parliament. 

The premier’s given name is usually used by critics in reference to how a court in April struck down a detention order he signed under his adopted name of Muhyiddin Yassin.

Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin leaving his residence in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 3, 2021. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

The Umno president on Tuesday also said a statement by the premier earlier in the day did not clarify the situation but “mocked the King, who has on many occasions ordered that Emergency ordinances be debated before Aug 1 and not in the next Parliamentary sitting in September”. 

He demanded that Mr Muhyiddin step down, and claimed that the government had fallen as he had presented to the King “enough” letters from Umno MPs withdrawing support for the government.

The majority of Umno MPs have yet to abide by the party’s supreme council decision, insisting that they have been given a choice to vote according to their conscience.  There are 38 Umno MPs in the 220-seat Parliament.

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2021-08-03 10:14:11Z
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Olympics: IOC awaiting report from Belarusian Olympic committee on sprinter's case - CNA

TOKYO: The IOC said on Tuesday (Aug 3) that it was waiting for a report later in the day from the Belarusian National Olympic Committee on the case of sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, after launching an investigation into the incident that has rocked the Games.

The athlete took refuge in the Polish embassy in Tokyo on Monday, a day after refusing her team's orders to board a flight home from the Olympic Games. Warsaw has offered her a humanitarian visa.

International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams told reporters the body had spoken to the athlete twice on Monday, that she was in a safe, secure place, and that the IOC needed to know all the facts before taking further action.

"We are expecting and have asked for a report from the National Olympic Committee of Belarus for today," Adams said, adding the IOC was still gathering the facts.

"We want it (report) today. We have decided to launch a formal investigation. We need to establish the full facts. We need to hear everyone involved."

Asked whether an IOC decision on the matter would come during the Games, Adams said it was not possible to estimate how long the investigation would take.

"That obviously can take time. We need to get to be bottom of it. How long that will take I do not know," he said.

READ: Olympics: Seeking asylum, Belarus athlete Tsimanouskaya walks into Poland's embassy in Tokyo

Tsimanouskaya, 24, had been due to compete in the women's 200 metre heats on Monday but said that on Sunday she was taken out of her room in the athletes' village and driven to the airport to board a flight home after criticising team officials.

The incident has focussed attention on Belarus, where police have cracked down on dissent following a wave of protests triggered by an election last year which the opposition says was rigged to keep Lukashenko in power.

"We have also now contacted the NOC of Poland. In terms of what the IOC can for her future we have talked to them with regard to her sport, after he arrival in Warsaw if that is indeed where she chooses to end up," Adams said.

READ: Olympics: Belarusian sprinter says she was taken to airport against her wishes, will not return home

In March, the IOC refused to recognise the election of Lukashenko's son Viktor as head of the country's Olympic Committee. Both father and son were banned from attending the Games in December.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken blasted Belarus' attempt to send Tsimanouskaya home.

"Such actions violate the Olympic spirit, are an affront to basic rights, and cannot be tolerated," Blinken wrote on Twitter late on Monday.

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2021-08-03 04:41:52Z
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Emergency ordinances to be tabled in parliament next month; repeal process was incomplete: PM Muhyiddin - CNA

KUALA LUMPUR: A motion to debate and annul the emergency ordinances will be tabled in the parliament meeting in September, said Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

He said the process to repeal the ordinances, as the Cabinet had advised King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah on Jul 23, could not be completed.

"In line with the king's decree and Article 150(3) of the Federal Constitution, a motion to debate and then annul the relevant emergency ordinances can be brought to the parliament meeting scheduled to be held in Sep 2021," he said in a statement on Tuesday (Aug 3). 

The Cabinet will discuss the motion on Wednesday, Mr Muhyiddin added. 

“The motion will be discussed at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow and it is hoped that it will solve the polemics on the revocation of the emergency ordinances in a harmonious and constitutional way,” he said.

The prime minister said according to the Federal Constitution, the expiry of the state of emergency on Aug 1 has made the revocation of the emergency ordinances by the king academic.

"With the end of the state of emergency on Aug 1, 2021, based on the provision of the Federal Constitution, revocation of the emergency ordinances by the king does not arise," he said. 

Malaysia was placed under a state of emergency from Jan 12 to Aug 1 to curb the spread of COVID-19. 

A five-day special parliamentary meeting that began last Monday was supposed to allow the Malaysian government to brief lawmakers about its COVID-19 response and pave the way for an eventual hybrid parliament sitting.

But the proceedings were overshadowed by revoking of the emergency ordinances.

On Jul 26, de facto law minister Takiyuddin Hassan said the emergency ordinances introduced during the state of emergency had already been revoked on Jul 21, after opposition politicians demanded that the cancellation go through the Lower House.  

READ: Explainer - Different interpretations over the Malaysian king's role in revoking emergency ordinances

In response, the palace released a statement indicating that the king did not consent to the decision. The initial agreement was to table and debate the cancellation of the ordinances at the ongoing special parliament meeting, according to the statement. 

"His Majesty stressed that the minister's statement in the parliament on Jul 26 is not accurate and has misled the MPs,” it said. 

The Prime Minister’s Office maintained on Jul 29 that its actions to cancel the ordinance are in accordance with the country’s laws and Constitution.

Mr Takiyuddin had promised to address concerns over the revocation on Aug 2 - the last day of the special parliament meeting - but the meeting was postponed following the detection of COVID-19 cases in the House.  

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its developments

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2021-08-03 07:43:31Z
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China's Wuhan to test 'all residents' as COVID-19 returns - CNA

BEIJING: Authorities in Wuhan on Tuesday (Aug 3) said they would test its entire population for COVID-19 after the central Chinese city where the coronavirus emerged reported its first local infections in more than a year.

The city of 11 million is "swiftly launching comprehensive nucleic acid testing of all residents", senior Wuhan official Li Tao said at a press conference on Tuesday.

READ: COVID-19: Delta variant bears down on China just as its economy loses steam

Wuhan officials announced on Monday that seven locally transmitted infections had been found among migrant workers in the city, breaking a year-long streak without domestic cases after it squashed an initial outbreak with an unprecedented lockdown in early 2020.

China has confined the residents of entire cities to their homes, cut domestic transport links and rolled out mass testing in recent days as it battles its largest coronavirus outbreak in months.

China reported 61 domestic cases on Tuesday as an outbreak of the fast-spreading Delta variant reached dozens of cities after infections among airport cleaners in Nanjing sparked a chain of cases that have been reported across the country.

READ: Millions under COVID-19 lockdown as China battles Delta outbreak

Major cities including Beijing have now tested millions of residents while cordoning off residential compounds and placing close contacts under quarantine.

BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and its developments

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2021-08-03 04:24:37Z
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A year after taboo on Thai king broken, 103 face jail for royal insult - CNA

BANGKOK: In the year since making an unprecedented, taboo-breaking speech openly calling for discussion on the role of Thailand's powerful king, human rights lawyer Arnon Nampa has spent months in jail, charged with the crime of defaming the monarchy.

He's one of 103 people from Thailand's youth-led anti-government protests now charged with insulting or threatening King Maha Vajiralongkorn or his immediate family, a crime punishable by up to 15 years' imprisonment. Hundreds more face other criminal charges.

Arnon, 36, says he has no regrets and vows the prosecutions won't crush the anti-government movement, which in recent weeks has been building again.

"I think it has been worthwhile. Now the society can move forward and people can talk about the monarchy," Arnon told Reuters in an interview while awaiting trial. He denies any wrongdoing.

The king has traditionally been portrayed as above reproach in conservative Thai culture, and any criticism of the monarch - whom some have viewed as semi-divine - is taboo as well as illegal.

Arnon, however, says talking openly about the monarchy is necessary in the push for democratic reform and the ouster of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who first came to power in a 2014 coup and has long associated himself with loyalty to the king.

READ: Thai youth activists to go ahead with protest despite gatherings ban

Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri on Monday (Aug 2) defended the criminal cases against protesters.

“Sometimes the protests were not peaceful ... when there is violence the police must maintain peace,” Anucha said.

The palace has said it will not respond to questions on the protests. Prayut's office says he retained power in free and fair elections in 2019.

The anti-government movement was already building last year when Arnon's late-night speech at an Aug 3 Harry Potter-themed protest helped electrify it.

For months afterwards, thousands poured onto the streets, at times clashing with the police.

FAMILIAR LEGAL TACTIC

Since last year, 695 protesters have been charged with crimes including sedition and causing unrest. Among those 103 are charged with lese majeste, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights.

Analyst Titipol Phakdeewanich says Thailand's military-royalist establishment has for decades used royal insult laws to silence critics.

"The government is using its old legal tactic, which has been partially effective in creating fear that has prevented more people from coming out publicly to talk about the monarchy," said Titipol, dean of political science at Ubon Ratchathani University.

"But there are some people that do not care," he said.

READ: Thai protest leaders go on trial for sedition, royal insults

READ: Thai prosecutors indict 5 over blocking of queen's motorcade

Arnon, an adviser to the youth movement, faces 12 separate lese majeste cases and spent 113 days imprisoned before being released on bail in June.

Deputy police spokesman Kissana Phathanacharoen denied cases against protesters are politically motivated.

The protests slowed earlier this year after key leaders were jailed and a severe outbreak of COVID-19 drove many inside.

But in recent weeks, demonstrations have again been building.

This time, it's not only youth protesters.

In late June, some of the government's former allies took to the streets demanding Prayuth's resignation over his handling of the worst COVID-19 outbreak to date.

Arnon said the youth movement will continue its fight.

"If this was a football game, we are far from the final whistle," Arnon said.

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2021-08-03 01:13:35Z
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