Malaysia PM Anwar backs Sabah chief minister to remain in his post - CNA

Separately, a special state assembly session will be held on Tuesday, with Bernama reporting that all state assemblymen attending the meeting are expected to approve and gazette the state bills for gas supply. 

The tabling of the Gas Supply Bill 2023 will see the setting up of an energy commission in the state in order to take over all the regulatory power for onshore gas supply there, Malay Mail reported. 

United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and Warisan assemblymen, however, will not be attending the special state assembly. 

Mr Bung was quoted by local media as saying that most of the UMNO state assemblymen were flying to Kuala Lumpur to attend the party’s general assembly. 

Separately, Mr Shafie was quoted as saying by the Malay Mail that Warisan’s absence “illustrates the need to set up a special committee as soon as possible to decide on the leadership in the unity government”. 

The two party leaders, however, said that they fully support the Bill and expect it to be passed. 

On Jan 6, the state government that was led by the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition collapsed after BN withdrew its support for the chief minister. 

Mr Bung Moktar announced that he had pulled the party’s state assemblymen from the 27-month-old coalition government. UMNO is the lynchpin party of BN.

According to Bernama, he said that the decision to withdraw support was made due to a loss of confidence in the leadership of chief minister Hajiji Noor.

Since then, the embattled Mr Hajiji has insisted that he has the support of 44 out of 79 assemblymen, giving him enough seats to continue as chief minister.

Malaysian media had previously reported that out of the 44 assemblymen in support of Mr Hajiji, 29 are GRS members, seven are from PH, five from BN, one from the Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), one from Parti Harapan Rakyat Sabah and one from the independent bloc.

A minimum of 40 seats is needed for any party or coalition to obtain a simple majority in order to form the state government.

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2023-01-10 03:34:00Z
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Flowers and face masks as Chinese tourists return to Thailand - CNA

The 36-year-old, visiting Thailand for a month to go diving, said it was "very familiar to visit here, and the weather is good too".

Jiang, who booked her flight two weeks ago, said she had a last-minute panic about possible travel restrictions.

"We worried the policies would be different from what we expected and we would be stopped from flying," she said, adding that none of the ground staff at Xiamen airport had known the latest Thai policy.

China is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 infections, with one official admitting on Monday that 90 per cent of people in Henan province, the country's third most populous, were infected.

Unlike many other countries - among them the United States, Canada, Japan and France - Thailand has decided against requiring pre-departure COVID-19 tests for travellers from China.

However, confusion reigned over the weekend after mixed messaging from the health ministry and the Thai civil aviation authority appeared to imply that tourists would be required to present vaccination records.

Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Monday that arrivals would not be required to show vaccination records, or undergo tests.

"The decision was decided not only for economic reasons, but also based on medical information," he told reporters at the airport.

Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Yuthasak Supasorn said there had been discussions over entry requirements but the issue had been resolved.

Thailand was hoping for "at least five million" Chinese tourists in 2023, he said, but he warned that numbers would be lower than previously with only 15 China flights a week - compared to around 400 pre-pandemic.

Officials have forecast roughly 20 million tourists will visit Thailand in 2023, far off the 40 million arrivals pre-pandemic.

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2023-01-09 14:30:17Z
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New Indonesia capital will benefit Borneo states: Malaysia PM Anwar during first overseas official visit - CNA

BOGOR: The development of Indonesia’s new planned capital Nusantara in eastern Kalimantan will benefit Malaysia’s Borneo states, Sabah and Sarawak, said Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Monday (Jan 9).

Speaking at a press conference on the second day of his official visit to Indonesia, Mr Anwar said that Malaysia plans to take a more positive and aggressive effort in the development of Nusantara.

Mr Anwar met Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo at the presidential palace in Bogor, West Java during his first official overseas visit since assuming office in November. 

The two leaders witnessed the handing over of 11 letters of intent (LOI) from Malaysia to Indonesia on its participation in the development of Nusantara. The LOIs were signed by 10 Malaysian companies.

According to Mr Anwar, Malaysia is keen on the development of Nusantara because it has interests in it, given the new capital’s regional economic importance and proximity to the two Borneo states.

“We take a positive approach to find a way so that the growth of the archipelago nation's capital will also benefit the region which includes Sarawak and Sabah," said Mr Anwar. 

Mr Widodo welcomed the interest shown by Malaysian investors in developing Indonesia’s new capital.  

“Eleven letters of intent have been signed by the Malaysian private sector and handed over to the New Capital Authority involving areas such as electronics, health, waste management, construction and property,” said the president who is popularly known as Jokowi.

The first phase of the development of Nusantara involves the construction of the presidential palace, a few government ministries and basic infrastructures such as roads and housing.

The phase is scheduled for completion by 2024 while the final phase of Nusantara’s development is targeted to be completed by the country’s centennial in 2045.

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2023-01-09 08:22:00Z
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Singaporeans not putting off travel plans to Thailand despite new Covid-19 rules - The Straits Times

Both EU Holidays and Chan Brothers Travel said the new rules are not cause for concern as the majority of Singaporeans have received both vaccination doses, as well as booster shots.

Mr Jeremiah Wong, who is a senior marketing communications manager at Chan Brothers Travel, said all customers are required to be fully vaccinated when making a booking.

“Thus, we are not observing any knee-jerk reaction as Singapore has a high fully vaccinated population and we expect demand for our Thailand tours to remain unaffected,” he said.

Retail worker Jasmine Lim, 24, said the rules will not deter her from going to Thailand.

She said: “My friends and I were thinking of taking a short trip to Phuket before Chinese New Year.

“I don’t think the rules change anything. It just means we have to now show our vaccination cards.”

Another holidaymaker, fully vaccinated 28-year-old nurse Sophie D’cruz, said she was relieved entry rules into Thailand got tightened.

She said: “I understand everyone wants to return to normalcy and not have such regulations in place, especially when it has been three years.

“But I tested positive for Covid-19 three times in the past 1½ years, even after taking precautions, like always wearing a mask outside, and carrying hand sanitiser around. So, this feels safer for travel.”

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2023-01-08 21:00:00Z
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Thailand brings back Covid-19 entry rules for all international travellers - The Straits Times

BANGKOK – Thailand will reintroduce Covid-19 entry requirements for foreigners flying into the country from Monday, the nation’s transport minister said, as the South-east Asian nation prepares for an expected wave of tourists from China.

The Thai Public Health Ministry has been looking into ways to safely welcome Chinese tourists.

To prevent one nationality from being targeted, the ministry resolved that all foreign arrivals will have to prove they have been vaccinated.

Adults must show proof of at least two vaccinations, or recovery from the virus since July, according to comments from Saksayam Chidchob published on the minister’s political party’s Website.

Unvaccinated visitors will need a medical report justifying their lack of inoculations, a Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand statement posted on site said. The rules apply until Jan 31.

Additionally, visitors from countries that require Covid-19 tests for arrivals from Thailand must have health insurance during their stay, the statement said.

The civil aviation authority also released a list of 16 Covid-19 vaccines that are accepted for entering Thailand as of Jan 6.

They include one dose of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine, two doses of AstraZeneca, two doses of Moderna, two doses of Pfizer or three doses of Anhui Zhifei Logcom.

Among nations that recently reimposed Covid-19 entry rules, India this month began mandatory Covid-19 tests for travellers from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand.

Bangkok’s vaccination requirements were scrapped in October 2022.

The reintroduction of entry requirements aimed at stemming the spread of Covid-19 comes as China rapidly dismantles its zero-tolerance policies, reopening the country to the world and scrapping quarantine for arrivals from Jan 8.

Thailand expects 300,000 Chinese visitors in the first quarter of this year, after it reached a target of 10 million foreign arrivals last year in a better-than-expected recovery of its vital tourism sector.

The first commercial flight from China to Thailand, Xiamen Airlines flight MF833, will arrive in Bangkok from Xiamen on Monday carrying 286 passengers, government spokeswoman Traisuree Taisaranakul said on Sunday.

Airlines are required to screen visitors’ eligibility to enter Thailand under the reimposed rules.

People suspected of displaying symptoms of Covid-19 will be advised to get tested on arrival.

Passengers transiting to other destinations are exempt, the statement said. BLOOMBERG, THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK, REUTERS

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2023-01-08 01:55:22Z
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PH asssemblymen for Sabah disagree with dissolving state assembly, express support for chief minister - CNA

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah chapter of Pakatan Harapan (PH) on Saturday (Jan 7) stated that it does not agree that the State Legislative Assembly should be dissolved, amid current political uncertainty in the state.

In a joint statement, all seven PH state assemblymen stressed that not dealing with the crisis immediately will lead to a hung assembly.

"In this regard, we would like to inform you that the seven assemblymen from Sabah PH are supporting current Chief Minister Hajiji Noor, who is the assemblyman for Sulaman," the statement read.

"This is in line with our principle to ensure that political stability continues to be established in Sabah and not to engage in measures such as the ‘Sheraton Move’."

The joint statement was issued by Sabah PH chairman Christina Liew, Sabah Democratic Action Party chairman Frankie Poon, Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister and United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation vice-president Ewon Benedick, Phoong Jin Zhe, Jannie Lasimbang, Tan Lee Fatt and Peto Galim.

Expressing regret over the current situation, they said the main focus of the state should be to ensure that the goals of helping the people, developing the economy and settling the unresolved demands of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 were realised, in line with the wishes of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

"We reiterate our stance that we do not support any effort to overthrow the government through backdoor means," read the statement.

They also suggested that the state government adopt the same model as the federal government in forming a unity government in Sabah, in the event of a hung state assembly.

On Friday, Sabah's Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman Bung Moktar Radin announced that the party was withdrawing support for Hajiji as they had lost confidence in his position as Chief Minister, and that there was a breach of an agreement between BN and Perikatan Nasional (PN). 

Bung Moktar is also the Sabah United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) chief .

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2023-01-07 16:33:00Z
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XBB.1.5 Thailand Travel Border Rules: Latest Update on Foreigners - Bloomberg

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1. XBB.1.5 Thailand Travel Border Rules: Latest Update on Foreigners  Bloomberg
2. Bali and Thailand await Chinese tourists' return  The Star
3. Covid strains from West more serious than from China, says virologist  Bangkok Post
4. The race for tourism dollars  The Star Online
5. Sick of the grind, China’s well-off seek slower pace in Thailand  Al Jazeera English
6. View Full coverage on Google News

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2023-01-07 10:03:04Z
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