Thai king asks parliamentarians to serve nation and people with 'best interests' at heart - CNA

BANGKOK: Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Monday (Jul 3) asked parliamentarians to perform their duties with the nation’s and the people’s best interests at heart during the state ceremony for the opening of the first parliamentary session, following the country’s general election in May.

The monarch presided over the ceremony at the parliament building with Queen Suthida. 

Caretaker Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and his Cabinet members were also present, along with members of parliament (MPs), presidents of the Senate, Supreme Court, Administrative Court and Constitutional Court, and representatives from various organisations.

“I ask all of you who are members of this parliament to always be mindful that you have been assigned by the people to represent people in the whole country in exercising the legislative power in order to rule and pass laws for the government to use as principles in public administration,” the king said.

“Therefore, how much the country will develop depends on your intellect, ability, honesty and sincerity to perform all duties while placing the utmost importance on the nation’s and the people’s best interests.

“If all of you always remain mindful of this, you will be able to perform your duties successfully, which will truly benefit and provide development and stability for the people as well as the country,” the king added.

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2023-07-03 12:02:07Z
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Grandmother of killed French teen urges calm as mayor's home attacked - CNA

PARIS: The grandmother of the French teenager whose killing by police sparked riots called for calm on Sunday (Jul 2), as the home of the mayor of a Paris suburb was attacked with a burning car in a new eruption of violence.

The government of President Emmanuel Macron has been battling five nights of violent protests since 17-year-old Nahel M was shot dead in the Paris suburb of Nanterre on Tuesday by an officer during a traffic check.

The killing of Nahel M, who was of Algerian origin, has revived longstanding accusations of institutional racism within the French police, which rights groups say single out minorities during stops.

Seeking to quell what has become one of the biggest challenges to Macron since he took office in 2017, the interior ministry said it would deploy 45,000 police and gendarmes nationwide overnight Sunday to Monday, the same figure as the previous two nights.

The ministry said 719 people were arrested overnight, around half the figure of the previous night. Intense clashes were nevertheless reported in several places, including the southern city of Marseille.

"Stop and do not riot," Nahel's grandmother, Nadia, told BFM television in a telephone interview, saying that the rioters were only using his death as a "pretext".

"I tell the people who are rioting this: Do not smash windows, attack schools or buses. Stop! It's the mums who are taking the bus, it's the mums who walk outside," she said.

Adding she was "tired", Nadia said: "Nahel, he is dead. My daughter had only one child, and now she is lost, it's over, my daughter no longer has a life. And as for me, they made me lose my daughter and my grandson."

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2023-07-02 20:35:00Z
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Rioting less intense in France overnight, 719 arrested; Germany's Scholz expresses concern - CNA

MAYOR'S HOME ATTACKED

In Paris, police increased security overnight at the city's famous Champs Elysees avenue after a call on social media to gather there. The street, usually packed with tourists, was lined with security forces carrying out spot checks. Shop facades were boarded up to prevent potential damage.

At least one cafe terrace there was evacuated due to the clashes.

There were sporadic clashes elsewhere in central Paris. Paris police said six public buildings were damaged and five officers wounded overnight. About 315 people were arrested in the city.

In the greater Paris region, the home of the conservative mayor of L'Hay-les-Roses was ram-raided, and his wife and one of his children were injured as they escaped. The local prosecutor said an investigation into attempted murder had been opened.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne visited the area on Sunday to renew the call for an end to the "unacceptable" violence.

There was also unrest in the Mediterranean city of Nice and Strasbourg in the east.

Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Saturday around 10 malls had been attacked and looted in the wave of unrest. He said more than 200 supermarkets had been attacked, around 15 of which had been burned down, with tobacconists, banks, fashion stores, sports shops and fast food outlets also being targeted.

Since the unrest erupted, Macron - re-elected in 2022 - has been forced to postpone his trip to Germany and leave an EU summit early. He has called on social media platforms to cooperate with the authorities to help identify those who "promote violence".

While he faced down widespread union-led protests this year over a deeply unpopular increase in the pension age that left his ratings in tatters, a concerted and lengthy uprising from the streets, like the Yellow Vest protests over high fuel prices, would pose a new challenge.

Yann Wernert, of the Jacques Delors Institute think-tank in Berlin, said the postponed visit highlighted the unrest's impact on Macron's ability to conduct foreign policy.

"The state visit can be made up for later, but the violent protests and the reactions to them also show how charged the political mood in France is at the moment," he said. 

On Sunday, the grandmother of Nahel issued a plea for calm, telling people to "stop and do not riot".

"I tell the people who are rioting this: Do not smash windows, attack schools or buses. Stop! It's the mums who are taking the bus, it's the mums who walk outside," Nadia told BFM television. 

GERMAN LEADER CONCERNED ABOUT SECURITY SITUATION

Germany Chancellor Olaf Scholz also said on Sunday he was following riots in France "with concern", a day after Macron postponed a state visit to his country over the violence. 

France is a "friendly neighbouring country" and Paris and Berlin together "make sure that the European Union, which is so important to our common future, works well," Scholz told broadcaster ARD in an interview. 

"That is why we are of course looking at (the riots) with concern, and I very much hope, and I am certainly convinced, that the French president will find ways to ensure that this situation improves quickly."

The state visit had been seen as an opportunity to reinvigorate the relationship between the two EU giants. Macron had been scheduled to cross the breadth of the country from west to east on a three-day visit.

It would have marked the first state visit by a French president to Germany since 2000, when Jacques Chirac travelled to Berlin.

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2023-07-02 15:11:18Z
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'Thin-armoured' French tanks impractical for attacks, says Ukraine commander - CNA

"Just sending out the (AMX-10) vehicles (into combat) so they get destroyed, I consider it is impractical and unnecessary because it's primarily a risk for the crew," Spartanets said.

He did not specify how many AMX-10s the elite combat formation has, and declined to show them to AFP reporters in the field.

Open-source intelligence website Oryx, which tallies equipment losses based on battlefield imagery, has counted three losses in Ukraine of AMX-10 RC light tanks.

Spartanets said his soldiers are gaining experience with the vehicles after undergoing a month's training in France, while adding this was not long enough to fully master its tactical use.

According to the French defence ministry, AMX-10s offer protection against light infantry fire.

Their combat weight is around 20 tonnes and they have wheels instead of tracks.

They were developed in the 1970s, and French armed forces have begun to replace them with more modern vehicles called Jaguar.

"COOL" OSHKOSH

The battalion commander compared the French-built vehicles unfavourably with MRAP-type armoured vehicles such as the American Oshkosh and British Husky, which he said could resist a direct strike by rocket-propelled grenades.

Washington in January also announced assistance to Ukraine including 55 MRAP (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected) armoured vehicles.

Britain sent Husky support vehicles last year.

Spartanets showed AFP two Oshkosh camouflage-painted vehicles mounted on huge wheels.

One had some minor shrapnel damage to the hood, which he described as a "weak" point.

"Otherwise, in terms of protection, the vehicle is very cool," he said.

If one runs over a landmine, "a wheel flies off" but the vehicle remains intact, he said.

By contrast, when a Soviet infantry fighting vehicle (BMP or BMD) drives over a tank mine, "it is very sad for the crew and the vehicle", he added.

The recently formed 37th brigade has fighters positioned close to the Russian front line in the eastern Donetsk region.

The battalion commander said he took direct part in fighting around Blagodatne, a village recently retaken by Ukrainian forces.

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2023-07-02 11:40:00Z
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China complains to France after Chinese tourists hurt in Marseille riots - CNA

The bus was attacked by rioters on Thursday, according to state broadcaster CCTV, during the violence which hit French cities in recent days since the police shooting of a teenager of North African descent. The Chinese tourists have since left France, the Consular Office statement said.

Chinese citizens in France or heading to France should "strengthen prevention" and be "more vigilant and cautious" in light of the riots which have swept across the country in recent days, the Consular office statement added.

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2023-07-02 06:10:00Z
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Kedah has Southeast Asia's oldest civilisation and archaeologists barely know its complete history - CNA

Researchers have also found mentions of Qalah - the Arabic word for ancient Kedah - inscribed on documents used in Mesopotamia in 1300 BC, much older than his 788 BC discovery, Mokhtar said.

“It shows there is contact with Mesopotamia - the earliest civilisation in the world 8,000 years ago. But we have not found evidence yet. So, it is very important that future research gets this data.” 

Mokhtar hopes the next generation of archaeologists can “complete” his data to determine how big and old Bujang Valley actually is, stressing that it is part of Malaysia’s natural heritage, identity and pride.

“The government should look at Bujang Valley as what Rome did for Pompeii,” he said.

“Also because archaeotourism brings a lot of income, like Borobudur and Angkor. You must look at Bujang Valley at that level.”

SEARCHING FOR A SUCCESSOR

But Mokthar said no one has taken over him yet to lead a team that will continue researching the Bujang Valley complex, and that he does not know the reason why.

While some of his former students are currently working at the site as part of their curriculum, he stressed that it is not easy to do this full time.

“The work is tough; you are both the worker and boss,” he said, adding that archaeology involves manual labour and interpretation in a tedious and time-consuming documentation process.

“When I retired, I did not expect that nobody would continue (my work). If someone continued, I could help out.”

CNA has asked Malaysia’s National Heritage Department, which manages the Sungai Batu site, for an update on the project.

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2023-07-01 22:00:00Z
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'Immodest' dressing fine against shop owner cancelled - Nga - Malaysiakini

The issue over the compound issued against a non-Muslim trader for allegedly dressing “immodestly” in Kelantan has been resolved and should not be further played up by any party, says Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming.

He said this was because the compound issued to the woman was cancelled following a discussion between the director-general of the Local Government Department and the Kota Bharu Municipal Council (MPKB).

“This issue has been resolved and...

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2023-07-01 09:46:41Z
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