Thailand prepares to dissolve parliament ahead of election - CNA

BANGKOK: Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Friday (Mar 17) he had prepared a decree seeking to dissolve parliament ahead of an election, an expected step as his government heads into the last week of its four-year term.

The decree would require the approval of Thailand's monarch and would take effect once published in the Royal Gazette. An election must take place 45 to 60 days after dissolution.

"I have prepared (the decree), we have to wait. We have to wait for the announcement in the Royal Gazette," General Prayut told reporters in the northern city of Chiang Mai.

Asked when this would be, he said: "We have to wait."

The election will again pit the billionaire Shinawatra family against parties backed by the royalist military and old-money conservatives, in what has been a bitter, 18-year power struggle in Southeast Asia's second-biggest economy.

General Prayut, a retired general who has been in charge since leading a coup against the government of Yingluck Shinawatra in 2014, will run under the new United Thai Nation party.

He will be up against Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra and Yingluck's niece. Paetongtarn, 36, has led General Prayut in opinion polls for months as the top choice for Thailand's next prime minister.

Speaking on Friday at an event to introduce Pheu Thai's candidates, she said she was confident of winning the election by a landslide, with the aim of averting any political manoeuvring against her party.

Pheu Thai and its previous incarnations have won every election in the past two decades, but three of their administrations were cut short by judicial rulings or military takeovers.

"I have a strong hope that we can form a government for sure, that's why we go ourselves to campaign about a landslide," Paetongtarn said.

Asked about the prospect her opponents might try to block her party from ruling, she said: "Of course, of course." 

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2023-03-17 13:49:00Z
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Anwar orders Malaysia's security forces to be on alert amid spike in racial, religious rhetoric - The Straits Times

KUALA LUMPUR - Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Friday said he has ordered security forces to be alert against those stirring up racial and religious rhetoric, ahead of a Malay nationalist convention on Sunday to be attended by former premier and opposition leader Mahathir Mohamad.

“Any attempt made by anyone to pit one race against another, or to increase the racial and religious temperature in this country will not be permitted,” Datuk Seri Anwar told a press conference after chairing a Cabinet meeting at his office in Putrajaya.

“I have ordered security forces to be on alert because those who are desperate or feel challenged will use these sentiments, and the poor will be paid to cause chaos,” he said, without mentioning who, or what groups, he was referring to.

The “Malay Proclamation” convention will be held at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, with speakers including Tun Dr Mahathir expected to raise issues regarding the Malay community.

Mr Anwar’s government, led by his multiracial Pakatan Harapan coalition, is opposed in Parliament by a Malay-Muslim alliance, Perikatan Nasional (PN).

Responding to Mr Anwar’s remarks, the police said on Friday that they will clamp down on any ethnic rhetoric that endangers the national security of the country.

“The current security level is under control and the police are giving a commitment to ensure law enforcement is performed properly to ensure safety is guaranteed,” the police said in a statement.

Dr Mahathir, about two weeks ago in Twitter posts, made controversial claims that the Malays, who form more than 60 per cent of the population, “did not benefit” from Malaysia’s multi-ethnic make-up.

“The business sector of Malaysia is dominated by the Chinese. Non-Chinese cannot find good jobs there. If the government does not take Malays, they will be jobless,” he wrote.

BowerGroupAsia senior analyst Arinah Najwa told The Straits Times that the discussion around race is still important among Malaysians.

“The Malay Proclamation event can be seen to embolden more staunch Malay groups who feel they are not adequately represented under a multi-racial Anwar government,” she said.

“There are two types of parties, one that will flare up racial issues because they feel like any exposure to other races would be a threat to their own. But there are also those that feel exposure to difference races can help to build understanding and diversity,” Ms Arina added.

There have also been several recent incidents that have spiked ethnic tensions, including a police report lodged by a member of PN this week accusing Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh of spearheading a Christian evangelist movement and bringing Muslim youth to visit a church as part of the ministry’s programme.

The incident led Selangor executive councillor for religious affairs Zawawi Ahmad Mughni, who is from Mr Anwar’s party, to say that Muslims are banned from attending events at non-Muslim houses of worship in the state.

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2023-03-17 12:36:30Z
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TikTok can be used on Singapore government-issued devices only on a 'need-to' basis - CNA

SINGAPORE: TikTok is only allowed to be used by public officers on government-issued devices on a "need-to basis", the Singapore government said on Thursday (Mar 16).

“Government-issued devices are meant for work and there are clear rules stipulating that only approved apps should be downloaded on such devices,” said a spokesperson for the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG).

“Currently, TikTok is only allowed for use by public officers on a need-to basis, such as for communications officers.”

The SNDGG, which comprises the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office and the Government Technology Agency, oversees the digital transformation of the government and the country's key Smart Nation projects.

Government-issued devices have security configurations to safeguard data, while public officers are regularly reminded to only download approved apps, it added in a reply to CNA’s queries about the recent security and privacy concerns over TikTok.

Some Singapore politicians are using the app, including Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung and Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin, who each have thousands of followers on the platform. CNA has contacted them about the security concerns regarding the platform.

SECURITY CONCERNS

The popular video app has come under increasing scrutiny, with the United States, Canada, Belgium and several EU bodies among those that have banned the app from government devices. 

Britain announced on Thursday that it would ban TikTok on government phones with immediate effect.

TikTok is owned by Beijing-headquartered internet company ByteDance. The bans underscore mounting concerns that the app’s user data could end up in the hands of the Chinese government, undermining Western security interests.

The concerns raised are not new.

The app, with more than 1 billion users worldwide, was caught in the crosshairs in 2020 when then-US president Donald Trump dubbed it a national security threat and attempted to block new user downloads in the US. TikTok has denied that it is a threat to US national security.

Like many other social media apps, Tiktok collects significant amounts of user data, including birthdays, email addresses and phone numbers, as well as tracks users’ likes, shares and search history.

But some experts said there are elements that are more unique to the app.

Dr Kevin Curran, professor of cybersecurity at Ulster University, pointed to the platform’s in-app browser, which "could potentially be collecting passwords and usernames typed in and tracking activity on the in-app browser".

TikTok’s privacy policy page states that the browsing history of the in-app browser is collected to “help make platform improvements, such as optimising page load times and ad measurement”.

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2023-03-17 07:28:00Z
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59-year-old man arrested for murder in Redhill; victim found with multiple wounds - CNA

SINGAPORE: A 59-year-old man was arrested on Friday (Mar 17) for allegedly murdering his elderly co-tenant.

The police were alerted to the incident in a flat at Redhill Close at about 10.50am on Friday. 

Police officers found a 61-year-old man lying motionless with multiple wounds inside the unit, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. 

The 59-year-old man, who was a tenant in the unit, was arrested at the scene.

The suspect will be charged on Saturday with murder.

When CNA arrived at the scene at about 2.20pm, police investigators were at the scene and had cordoned off an area on the fifth floor.

CNA understands that there was a dispute between the two tenants. People living in the block said they did not hear anything unusual in the morning.

The offence of murder carries the death penalty. Police investigations are ongoing.

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2023-03-17 05:03:00Z
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Pentagon releases declassified video of Black Sea drone incident - The Straits Times

WASHINGTON – In a rare move, the Pentagon on Thursday released a declassified video showing Russia’s intercept of a United States military surveillance drone downed over the Black Sea two days ago.

It was the first direct US-Russian incident since the Ukraine war began, worsening already tense relations between Washington and Moscow.

In the video, a Russian Su-27 fighter jet is seen coming very close to the US MQ-9 drone and dumping fuel near it.

US officials say it was an apparent effort to damage the American aircraft as it flew over the Black Sea.

It also shows the loss of the video feed after another close Russian manoeuvre, which the Pentagon says resulted from the Russian jet’s collision with the drone.

It ends with images of the drone’s damaged propeller, which the Pentagon says resulted from the collision, making the aircraft inoperable.

The video, which is about 40sec long, has been edited by the US military for length but shows events in a sequential order, the Pentagon said.

Russia has denied US accusations that its jet acted recklessly in the incident.

It instead blamed “sharp manoeuvering” by the drone for the crash, claiming its jet did not make contact.

The incident over international waters was a reminder of the risk of direct confrontation between the US and Russia over Ukraine.

Moscow invaded Ukraine more than a year ago and Western allies have supported the Kyiv government with intelligence and weapons.

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Russian ships had been seen near the area where the drone had crashed, though they did not appear to have recovered any parts of the drone yet.

It was not clear if they were still in the area.

Washington has said that any recovery efforts relating to the drone would be difficult because of the depth of water in the region. It said it has taken measures to ensure that no sensitive information can be gleaned from the remains of the drone.

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2023-03-16 11:27:26Z
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Malaysian man injured after parang attack by robbers at Johor apartment - The Straits Times

JOHOR - An online seller in Malaysia suffered injuries to his head and hands, after an armed robbery in broad daylight at an apartment at Puteri Harbour in Johor.

The robbery was caught on camera and the video has since gone viral on various social media platforms.

In the two-minute clip, two cars blocked the path of the victim’s pickup truck, and three parang-wielding men then started attacking the victim, who was in the driver’s seat.

The suspects forcefully opened the vehicle’s doors and started to slash the victim, who, in an attempt to escape, tried to speed off but hit the car blocking him.

Not giving up, the victim then rear-ended the car behind him before hitting the other car again to escape from the armed suspects, but his car stopped several metres in front.

The armed suspects continued to chase him on foot, slashing him again before robbing the man and escaping from the scene.

Iskandar Puteri police officer Rahmat Arrifin said the incident occurred at the apartment’s lobby at around 9.45am on Monday.

“Based on information and intelligence, the police arrested two men aged 40 and 45.

“The first suspect was arrested on the same day of the incident at around 10.15am near Horizon Hills, while police then caught the second suspect at 9pm in Gelang Patah,” he said on Thursday.

Mr Rahmat added that through investigation, both suspects admitted that they were involved in the robbery where they hit the victim’s car before robbing him.

He said police also seized items from the suspects, including the weapons used in the robbery and RM10,000 (S$3,000) in cash, believed to be the stolen money.

Mr Rahmat added the victim then sought medical treatment at a private hospital in Medini and has been discharged as he was in a stable condition.

“We are hunting down three more suspects involved in the robbery,” he said, adding that one of the suspects has a criminal record and the two already arrested have been remanded until Saturday to assist with the investigation. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

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2023-03-16 08:40:21Z
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Swiss central bank throws financial lifeline to Credit Suisse after shares pummelled - CNA

ZURICH: The Swiss central bank said on Wednesday (Mar 15) that capital and liquidity levels at embattled Credit Suisse were adequate but stressed it was ready to make liquidity available to the institution if needed.

The announcement came after shares in Switzerland's second-biggest bank nosedived to historic lows on Wednesday after its main shareholder said it would not invest any more money, as market jitters over European lenders spiralled.

"Credit Suisse meets the higher capital and liquidity requirements applicable to systemically important banks," the Swiss National Bank (SNB) and Swiss financial regulator Finma said in a joint statement.

The SNB will provide liquidity to Credit Suisse "if necessary", the statement added, after a turbulent day in which the bank's market value fell below US$7 billion.

Credit Suisse, hit by a series of scandals in recent years, saw its share price tumble off a cliff after Saudi National Bank chairman Ammar al-Khudairy said it would "absolutely not" up its stake.

Credit Suisse's market value had already taken a heavy blow this week over fears of contagion from the collapse of two US banks and its annual report citing "material weaknesses" in internal controls.

The bank's shares were quickly in freefall on the Swiss stock exchange, plunging more than 30 percent to a record low of 1.55 Swiss francs.

The bank regained some ground by the close, ending the day's trading 24.24 per cent down at 1.697 Swiss francs.

Fears about the bank were spreading beyond Switzerland's borders, but US stock markets bounced after the Swiss central bank's assurances.

The tech-rich Nasdaq gained 0.1 per cent, while both the Dow and S&P 500 finished above session lows.

A US Treasury spokesperson said the finance ministry was "monitoring" the problems surrounding Credit Suisse and was "in touch with global counterparts".

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2023-03-15 20:15:00Z
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