25m stretch of road collapses in Iskandar Puteri; probe to determine cause - The Straits Times

ISKANDAR PUTERI – A 25m-long stretch of road between Forest City and the Tanjung Pelepas highway in Iskandar Puteri, Johor, collapsed on Sunday.

Iskandar Puteri Fire and Rescue department operations commander Hairulnizam Mohd Noh said his unit received a call about the incident at around 2.09pm.

“Seven firemen were deployed to the scene and, upon arrival, found that about 25m of the main road and bridge had collapsed,” he said in a statement.

“Once we confirmed that the area was safe, we handed the matter over to the police for traffic control at the area,” he added.

Iskandar Puteri Police Assistant Commissioner Rahmat Ariffin confirmed the incident and said no injuries were reported.

In a statement, developer Country Garden Pacificview said Forest City’s project employees and relevant technical personnel rushed to the scene for emergency action.

“Forest City immediately got in touch with the relevant government departments for setback management and cause investigation,” it said.

It added that it would conduct a thorough inspection of the entire bridge and actively cooperate with government departments “to carry out the necessary action and procedures to ensure the safety of users”.

It added that updates on the matter, including construction recovery, would be posted on Forest City’s official social media accounts. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

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2023-07-23 12:35:00Z
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Twenty-five metre stretch of road collapses in Iskandar Puteri - The Star Online

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1. Twenty-five metre stretch of road collapses in Iskandar Puteri  The Star Online
2. 25m stretch of road collapses in Iskandar Puteri; probe set to determine cause  The Straits Times
3. View Full coverage on Google News

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2023-07-23 11:22:00Z
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Cambodia votes as Hun Sen near-guaranteed election win - CNA

PHNOM PENH: Cambodians voted on Sunday (Jul 23) in an election that longtime leader Hun Sen is all but guaranteed to win as he looks to secure his legacy by handing the reins to his eldest son.

The 70-year-old former Khmer Rouge cadre has ruled since 1985 and faces no real contest in this vote, with opposition parties banned, challenger candidates forced to flee and freedom of expression stifled.

His Cambodian People's Party (CPP) is likely to retain all 125 seats in the lower house, prolonging his grip on power and paving the way for a dynastic succession some critics have compared to North Korean politics.

The only serious opposition party was disqualified on a technicality in the run-up to the polls and it will be a surprise if any of the 17 other small, poorly funded parties win seats.

Hun Sen cast his ballot in the capital Phnom Penh shortly after polling stations opened at 7am (midnight GMT), according to AFP journalists at the scene.

More than 9.7 million people are registered to vote in the seventh election since the United Nations first sponsored polls in 1993 after years of conflict - including the genocidal Khmer Rouge - left the country devastated.

Over the last 30 years, what hopes the international community might have had for a vibrant multi-party democracy in Cambodia have been flattened by the juggernaut of Hun Sen's rule.

The veteran prime minister has begun to look to the future, saying that he would hand over to his son, four-star general Hun Manet - possibly even in the coming weeks.

The 45-year-old scion led the final CPP rally in Phnom Penh ahead of polling day, telling a raucous crowd on Friday that it was "victory day" for the country.

Critics would disagree, and rights groups have condemned the upcoming election.

On the eve of voting, a 17-strong coalition - including the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) - characterised the polls as being of "profound concern".

"The upcoming electoral exercise indicates a notable absence of transparency, fairness and inclusivity in the electoral process," the coalition said in a statement issued on Saturday.

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2023-07-23 01:51:01Z
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Inside Lombok's secretive gold mining community, slowly suffering from poisoning - CNA

Then, in Lombok, a new danger emerged. Informal gold mining started almost 15 years ago after a mining company found “large deposits” on the island, and locals spotted an opportunity, said environmental health specialist Yuyun Ismawati.

It has been estimated that 22,000 people in Lombok depend on small-scale gold mining — done on land they do not own — to earn a living. But until now, the small-scale mining activities have been illegal, Yuyun added.

Lombok’s miners are normally secretive about their work, but Faturahman agreed to share his story. Born on the island, he used to be a fisherman, “but it was so hard to get a good income”. So he became a miner.

Just half a gramme of gold is worth 300,000 rupiah (S$26) to him, which is more than twice the amount he earned daily as a fisherman.

Globally, around 20 per cent of gold production comes from informal miners like him. But their use of mercury complicates matters. And illness in Lombok’s mining communities has largely flown under the radar of medical authorities.

WATCH: The real price of Indonesia’s mercury-poisoned gold (46:18)

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2023-07-22 22:00:00Z
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After winning an election, Move Forward's quest to lead Thailand's government grinds to a halt - The Straits Times

BANGKOK - Pumping his fist into the air, Mr Pita Limjaroenrat walked out of Parliament’s chambers on Wednesday in the midst of proceedings, while fellow party and coalition members stood in applause.

Moments before, the 42-year-old leader of the Move Forward Party (MFP) had said in his parting address: “I think Thailand has changed drastically since May 14. The people have already won half the battle, and there is still halfway to go.”

Maybe, his optimism was misplaced.

Mr Pita is under a temporary suspension of his parliamentary duties by the Constitutional Court pending its ruling over his ownership of media shares, which is forbidden under election law.

“I’ll be back,” Mr Pita wrote on social media shortly after leaving Parliament, even as lawmakers continued to debate whether he should get a second shot at the premiership.

But the reality was that he would not be back, at least not in his desired position as Thailand’s 30th Prime Minister. Later that evening, a majority of parliamentary voters denied him a second attempt at nomination for the post.

Now, his party is fighting for its place in the coalition it had assembled after winning the most seats in the May election. It has been a turbulent two months since the reformist MFP and its Ivy League-graduate leader shot to the top of the political arena, beating more established parties to bag 151 seats in the 500-member elected House of Representatives.

Its victory was powered by widespread desire for change, in a country that has experienced comparatively sluggish post-pandemic recovery, high household debt and more than a dozen military coups, with the most recent in 2014 by now-caretaker PM Prayut Chan-o-cha.

One female voter in her 60s, a former supporter of conservative parties who decided to throw her support behind the MFP this time around, said: “It’s about having new people in charge. I don’t necessarily support all the MFP’s policies, but something must change.”

With the backing of main coalition partner Pheu Thai and six smaller parties, the MFP entered uncharted territory as it tried to lead the 312-member alliance in establishing what it termed the “People’s Government”.

However, the legal threats as well as the entrenched conservative forces that oppose the party’s seemingly radical policies have meant challenges at every turn.

“We have to apologise to the people and frankly admit that they (those in power) do not want MFP to be a core party to form a government,” said MFP secretary-general Chaithawat Tulathon on Friday, noting that opposing voices have cited the party’s stance to amend Section 112 of the Criminal Code – the lese majeste law – and loyalty to the monarchy as reasons to block the party from Government House.

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2023-07-22 14:48:00Z
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What you need to know about Cambodia's election - CNA

Cambodia holds an election on Sunday (Jul 23) that is almost certain to be won by the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) of Prime Minister Hun Sen, extending its nearly four-decade grip on power.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN ON SUNDAY?

About 9.7 million of Cambodia's 16 million people are eligible to vote in the election for a national assembly. Polling stations will open from 7am (8am, Singapore time) until 3pm and a preliminary result is expected Sunday evening.

Aside from CPP, there are 17 parties running, but most are obscure and none have the clout or resources to mount a challenge to the ruling party, which won all 125 seats assembly seats in the 2018 election. A repeat of that is expected.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE OPPOSITION?

CPP encountered its biggest challenge to its rule in the 2013 election when it won less than half of the votes, closely followed by the newly formed opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), reflecting CNRP's popularity among the youth and trade unions and some disenchantment with CPP.

In the following years, CPP used its influence over courts and democratic institutions to hobble its rival, culminating in CNRP's dissolution nine months before the 2018 election, for its alleged plot to overthrow Hun Sen's government. The CNRP's leader was arrested on treason charges.

Large numbers of opposition figures fled into exile and hundreds were convicted of crimes mostly in absentia in mass trials.

From CNRP's ashes rose the Candlelight Party, but its members have endured a campaign of intimidation and harassment, according to human rights groups. The party was disqualified from the election on a technicality over a registration document and this week, two of its members were arrested for incitement after they urged voters to destroy their ballots.

IS THE CPP POPULAR?

The CPP's ability to maintain peace, growth and stability after the 1970s Khmer Rouge genocide and ensuing civil war remains its biggest selling point, particularly in rural areas where many Cambodians have witnessed a relative transformation in what was once among the world's poorest countries.

Under 70-year-old Hun Sen, Cambodia has achieved lower middle-income status, with improvements in health, education and infrastructure. Its textiles manufacturing sector, mainly for famous Western brands, has boomed, creating vital jobs, while the economy grew on average 7.7 per cent between 1998 and 2019.

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2023-07-22 08:35:55Z
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On topic: Why Thailand's Pita failed to become prime minister - Nikkei Asia

The winner of Thailand's general election, Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat, failed in his recent attempt to become prime minister. How was he blocked from the premiership? Here's a selection of stories looking at the country's struggle to form a new government.

Pita Limjaroenrat leaves the parliamentary chamber after being suspended as an MP on July 19. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)

Move Forward leader Pita on Wednesday came up against two roadblocks in his bid to become prime minister, as parliament denied his second nomination and the Constitutional Court suspended him while it considers an electoral complaint. Read more.

Move Forward supporters protest in front of Bangkok's Democracy Monument on July 19. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)

Around a thousand people filled Bangkok's Democracy Monument on Wednesday night after Pita was denied a second nomination for prime minister by parliament and was suspended as a lawmaker. People dressed in black staged a mock funeral for conservative senators and judges to protest their actions, which are seen as obstructing the consensus reached in the May election. Read more.

Pita Limjaroenrat reacts after failing to win parliamentary support to become Thailand's prime minister on July 13. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)

It is an open secret that Thailand's Constitutional Court and Election Commission -- intended to be independent bodies -- are under the military's influence. The court suspended Pita as a lawmaker over his shareholdings in a media company, marking an extension of past democratization stumbles and political disputes in Thailand. Read more.

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2023-07-22 03:30:00Z
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