Taipei – A top Taiwan court ruled in favour of gay marriage Wednesday, a landmark ruling that paves the way for the island to become the first place in Asia to legalise same sex unions.
The court said Taiwan’s current Civil Code, which says an agreement to marry could only be made between a man and a woman, “violated” the constitution’s guarantees of freedom of marriage and people’s equality.
It gave Taiwan’s government two years to implement the ruling.
BANGKOK – A 14-year-old boy has been detained in a Thai army prison under a draconian and increasingly wielded royal defamation law, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday, as it decried the secrecy surrounding the latest series of arrests.
The law in Thailand forbids any criticism of the monarchy and punishes transgressors with up to 15-years in jail for each offence.
Use of the law has skyrocketed since an ultra-royalist junta seized power in 2014.
There have been a flurry of cases in recent weeks, many linked to social media posts about Thailand’s new king Maha Vajiralongkorn, who ascended the throne late last year.
Royal insult cases are typically shrouded in secrecy with media forced to heavily self-censor details.
But the latest detentions have been especially opaque.
Thai human rights groups and local media say a group of between four to seven people, including a minor, were arrested in northeastern Thailand on 15 May for allegedly burning a portrait of Vajiralongkorn’s late father Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, which often provides legal representation to lese majeste suspects, said the group were taken from Khon Kaen province to a notorious army prison on a Bangkok barracks and that they had been held incommunicado since.
Thai police, military and junta spokespeople all declined repeated AFP requests for comment on the case.
In a statement on Wednesday, Human Rights Watch said their researchers had confirmed the names of four of the suspects – 14-year-old Abhisit Chailee, Jirayu Sinpho, 19, Akkharapong Ayukong, 19, and Ratthathammanoon Srihabutr, 20.
Brad Adams, the group’s Asia Director, said the latest arrests “should set off alarm bells”.
“None of the four youths arrested should have been denied access to a judge and placed in an incommunicado military detention, whatever the charge against them,” he said.
Thailand’s junta has awarded itself powers to secretly detain anyone for up to seven days, but the current group has now been held for at least 10 days without access to lawyers or family.
More than 100 people have been charged with lese majeste since an army coup three years ago.
Late last year the United Nations’ rights body warned Thailand’s widespread use of the law “may constitute crimes against humanity”.
But there has been no let up in its use. Thailand has seen an uptick in cases since the December ascension of Vajiralongkorn, who has yet to attain his father’s popularity.
Earlier this month, seven people were arrested for allegedly sharing Facebook posts written by an exiled dissident academic. They were held incommunicado for days before appearing in court to be charged.
One of the suspects, human rights lawyer Prawet Prapanukul, was hit with a record 10 counts of lese majeste, a charge sheet that could see him jailed for up to 150 years.
This month Thai authorities also threatened to block Facebook if it did not do more to pull down critical or embarrassing commentary about the monarchy – a vow the government later backed down over.
SINGAPORE: Security measures at public events must be improved even if no foolproof solution to terror attacks exists, said experts on Wednesday (May 24) after another major incident which left 22 dead and 59 wounded at a pop concert in England.
UK-born Salman Abedi, 22, blew himself up at the end of a sold-out show by pop star Ariana Grande at the 21,000-capacity Manchester Arena on Monday. The Islamic State militant group has claimed responsibility – as it did after 90 were killed in a November 2015 attack in Paris, also at a concert hall.
Altogether there have been 13 terror incidents across Western Europe and over 300 lives lost since the start of 2015.
Authorities and organisers of major sports and entertainment events in countries across the globe are now considering tighter security protocols.
After the Manchester bombing, which was Britain’s second terror attack in less than two months, UK media reports suggested that bags were not thoroughly searched and concert-goers not screened carefully before entry to the venue, noted both Dr Heng Yee Kuang of the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Public Policy and Dr Woon Chih Yuan of the National University of Singapore.
“The suicide attacker detonated outside on the foyer,” added Dr Heng. “This suggests that while you can to some extent restrict dangerous materials from entering the venue itself, it is also important to consider the access routes in and out of the venue, especially in this case where it is linked to a major train station where you can expect bottlenecks of people to form.”
A woman looks at flowers for the victims of the Manchester Arena attack, in central Manchester Britain May 23, 2017. (Photo: REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth)
EVACUATION PLANS “CRITICAL”
Associate Professor Francesco Mancini of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy agreed, saying: “It is not only at the entrance of events, but also at the exit, as we have seen at the Manchester Arena.”
“Security forces will need to secure areas around stadiums or public spaces, as well as transportation hubs where people aggregate after a public event.”
An evacuation plan will thus be “critical” in saving lives, by getting a large number of people out of a particular venue in the shortest amount of time, said Dr Graham Ong-Webb, a research fellow at the Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS).
He emphasised that it would be crucial to communicate this plan before the start of the event.
This could be done by informing concertgoers the location of exit and emergency points, such as through a video or public announcement. “It will give the concertgoer the requisite information to act on, should something happen,” he said.
“But I think this will require some rethinking from our (concert) organisers. I don’t quite observe any evacuation plans being communicated clearly to concertgoers and members of the public,” he added.
Concertgoers Channel NewsAsia spoke with mirrored his point. Freelance video producer Jillian Rachel Tan, who has attended over 50 music event both locally and overseas, said she has not encountered such a strategy so far.
Added 25-year-old Urshula Spemann, who attended a John Mayer concert at London’s O2 Arena earlier this month: “At those big stadiums, the emergency exits are not always very obvious, compared to like an office or mall.”
“If we were told the evacuation plan before the concert starts, I think that would minimise the chaos should there be some sort of attack.”
She also said that overall, security at some venues could be lax.
“Security checks surprisingly were quite relaxed especially for a big arena like O2,” the project manager said. “There were about maybe 20,000 people there but the queues were really fast, it was really easy to get in.”
“They didn’t really go through my bags, I just had to open it up and they just looked through it and I was good to go.”
Flags fly at half-mast as armed British Police officers walk on patrol with their weapons outside of Greater Manchester Police force’s headquarters in Manchester, northwest England. (Photo: Oli SCARFF/AFP)
MEASURES IN PLACE
When contacted by Channel NewsAsia, the organiser of a Britney Spears concert in June said they would be “working very closely” with its venue partner as well as police on tightening security.
“(We) will be discussing this in detail on additional measures for areas within and outside the venue,” said project manager at IME Entertainment Group, Yogesh Mehta.
Similarly, security company Certis CISCO said it works with event organisers to put in place security measures for concert events.
This includes carrying out bag checks and patrols aimed at “preventing unauthorised objects to be brought into the event… and suspicious items (from being) placed around the concert area,” said its head of protection and enforcement services Jason Tan.
The Singapore Sports Hub, which hosts large-scale sports and entertainment events, said it conducts bag checks at all events hosted within its venue, and prohibits dangerous items such as weapons and bags exceeding a certain size.
Its integrated command and control centre is fitted with surveillance software and manned around the clock by trained personnel. The venue operator said it also works closely with the authorities, and urged patrons to report suspicious activities.
On the part of the authorities, the Singapore Government has sought to protect events and buildings against terror attacks through legislation.
With the Public Order Act amended last month, organisers of large-scale events will be required to put in place necessary security measures. These include notifying the police if they expect more than 5,000 people to attend an event, and working with the police to determine the security measures required.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will also introduce a new Infrastructure Protection Act later this year, requiring new, large-scale developments to incorporate security measures when they are being designed. The Act may also require owners of premises to adopt additional protective measures, such as bag checks, in the event of a heightened security climate.
Police officers look at flowers and messages left for the victims of the Manchester Arena attack, in central Manchester, Britain May 23, 2017. (Photo: REUTERS/Darren Staples)
“NEVER-ENDING CAT-AND-MOUSE STRUGGLE”
These tighter security measures will “greatly help as part of the overall effort to mitigate the risk of terrorism, and improve general public safety”, said Mr Muhammad Faizal Bin Abdul Rahman, an RSIS research fellow who previously served with MHA and the Singapore police.
“But we must first accept that we live in a landscape where it is not possible to prevent all terrorist plots.”
Dr Heng agreed. “Singapore’s new security measures will raise the bar and make it more difficult for terror plots to succeed,” he said. “But it is a never-ending cat-and-mouse struggle with terror plots and methods of attack which constantly evolve.”
“It is important to bear in mind that the risks can be reduced and mitigated through measures such as screenings and concrete barriers, but there can never be 100 per cent ‘perfect security’.”
“Police and security forces have to be right all the time in disrupting terror plots, but terrorists only need to get through once,” he added.
“There is no 100% security,” echoed Prof Mancini. “Governments will need to increase domestic security budgets, maybe by moving over some resources from armaments.”
Dr Ong-Webb also issued a caution: “It’s very hard to close all gaps, you cannot securitise everything.”
“In light of the series of attacks around the world… we’re going to have to deal with a trade-off,” he said. “Things will have to become more inconvenient in order for us to achieve certain security objectives.”
“But it’s the only way for us to mitigate and blunt the casualty and destruction that occurs because of a terrorist attack.”
Added Dr Woon: “Besides stepping up security measures, you also need the help of ordinary citizens to remain vigilant and report suspicious people or incidents to the relevant authorities in a timely fashion.”
“People must be sufficiently educated and informed about the dangers of terrorism and be prepared to act appropriately in the event of emergencies.”
Actor Kim Woo-bin was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal cancer, according to his agency on Wednesday.
“Kim Woo-bin wasn’t feeling good and recently visited a doctor. We found out that he has nasopharyngeal cancer,” Sidus HQ said in a statement. “He started receiving drug treatment and radiation therapy. Please cheer and support him.”
The agency’s official also said he will focus on getting treatment for a while.
Nasopharyngeal cancer affects the nasopharynx, which is in the upper part of the throat, behind the nose.
Kim was preparing to start filming the upcoming film tentatively titled, “Docheong,” in summer.
The production team of the film said that it will begin filming the movie later and wait for him to return with good health.
SINGAPORE: Bike sharing start-up ofo said it intends to take the “soft” approach to tackling the issue of errant parking of its dockless bicycles, but is not averse to implementing tougher rules if the problem persists.
Speaking to Channel NewsAsia on Wednesday (May 24), Mr Lawrence Cao, head of ofo’s Asia Pacific Business, said the issue of errant parking, and the misuse of its bicycles here in general, is not unique to the local business and the same can be seen in China too. “Human behaviour is (all) the same,” he noted, adding that the general behaviour of Singapore users is “quite honest”.
Since the emergence of bike sharing services in Singapore, there have been reports of bicycles parked indiscriminately as well as cases of misuse and vandalism. In fact, ofo had made a police report in April after a teen was seen thrashing one of its bicycles in a video posted online.
To address this, Mr Cao said its updated app will include suggestions for users to park within the geographic region they are in. Another initiative it is introducing is for users to make a one-time refundable deposit of S$39 on their registration, which is on top of the charges per ride. It will be charging $1 for every hour of travel, capped at $2 for the entire journey, the company said. The service was previously offered for free before a $0.50 per trip charge was introduced.
He also pointed out that there is a 30-strong ground operations crew that can be deployed to shift bicycles that are parked in places they should not be, although the company is keen to stress that this is just one of the ways to tackle the issue and it is not sustainable to keep growing the team for this purpose alone.
Co-founder Yu Xin, who was sitting in on the interview, added that the company is not closed off to the possibility of introducing tougher measures to foster good user behaviour. Among the ideas being considered is to continue to charge users if they do not park in the designated parking spaces indicated on the app, he said.
Besides ofo, another China-based service provider Mobike and local start-up oBike are the other players in the market.
Its competitor, oBike, had in April introduced a credit system that rewards users that show good behaviour and penalises those who do not. Once the user runs out of points, they automatically get locked out of the service. Meanwhile, Mobike is offering credits to users who help others locate its bikes as well as those who report errant behaviour, according to its website.
GPS, SMART LOCK ADDED
Mr Cao also noted that feedback from users here is playing a prominent role in the slew of new additions the company announced on Wednesday. There are currently 100,000 registered users in Singapore who clock more than 20,000 journeys daily since ofo launched 100 days ago, it said.
For instance, one of the main bugbears reported was the inability to locate ofo bicycles as there was no GPS capabilities on the original fleet. With the app update, it is tapping on Google Maps to inform users of bike locations, as well as highlight parking zones and nearby attractions, the start-up said.
The smart lock syncs with a user’s mobile phone via Bluetooth, and also allows for GPS tracking.
Besides integrating with Google Maps, ofo is also introducing a new bicycle – the ofo Aura 1.0 – to the market, which comes with a smart lock that syncs to a user’s mobile phone via Bluetooth and complements the GPS capabilities. The company said users can lock and unlock the bicycle under three seconds, and is also more secure. The new model also comes with Shimano internal three-speed gear system, a aluminium basket with a bottle holder, rear brake box and an adjustable handle-bar, its press release said.
The company intends to deploy 500 such bicycles in the initial phase, and this is in addition to the “several thousands” of bicycles it had already deployed in Singapore at launch.
Looking ahead, ofo said it aims to release more than 1,000 bicycles across 28 different Housing and Development Board estates by end-2017. It is currently participating in a year-long pilot with the Jurong-Clementi Town Council, together with Mobike and oBike, which may be implemented islandwide if successful. It is also in talks with JTC Corporation to bring the new fleet to one-north and Tuas by the end of the year, it said.
Among the additions to the Aura 1.0 bicycle based on user feedback: An aluminium basket and an adjustable handle-bar.
Taking a leaf from the playbook of car ride-sharing service providers Grab and Uber, ofo also announced on Wednesday it had partnered AXA to offer insurance coverage to both the user and the third-party should there be an accident. Singapore is the first market to implement this, and ofo will roll out to the other markets subsequently, said co-founder Yu.
Mr Cao said, ultimately, that while garnering market share is important, ofo is not in Singapore to just gain users. It is also looking to tap its talent base to add to the company’s capabilities, the executive said.
SINGAPORE: The common interest of Singapore and China in building a peaceful and growing region is much greater than any occasional difference of views, said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean on Wednesday (May 24).
He described the bilateral relationship as a broad and longstanding one, and highlighted the three government-to-government projects – in Suzhou, Tianjin and Chongqing – as examples of how Singapore has supported China’s developmental priorities at key stages.
Mr Teo added that both sides share similar views on most issues, working well together to advance those common interests.
“But even among close neighbours and friends, there may be different perspectives on some issues, given that countries are of different sizes, have different histories, vulnerabilities and geographical location,” he said.
Mr Teo was speaking at the 20th anniversary celebration of the East Asian Institute at Shangri-La Hotel, where he also shared views on international relations in the East Asian region as well as China’s economic and social development.
On Singapore-China relations, Mr Teo said: “The fundamental position of our two countries (is) that we share a common interest in the peaceful growth and development of our two countries and the region remains the same.
“Our common interest in building a peaceful and growing region is much greater than any occasional differences of views. Singapore will continue to be a strong and principled supporter of China’s peaceful development and constructive engagement in the region.”
Mr Teo’s comments come amid reports suggesting that bilateral relations are still strained, with some observers noting that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was not present at last week’s Belt and Road Forum in Beijing. Singapore was represented by National Development Minister Lawrence Wong.
China’s President Xi Jinping speaks at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum, in Beijing, on May 14, 2017 AFP/Greg Baker
“We had a wide-ranging exchange of views on issues of common interest between our two countries, he said. “Such dialogues reflect the high level of mutual trust between our countries, and our mutual desire to learn from the experiences of each other. It is a unique dialogue for both countries.”
EAST ASIA IN TRANSITION
In his wide-ranging speech, Mr Teo, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security, spoke about how East Asia is going through another period of transition and change.
An “increasingly provocative” North Korea has the “greatest potential for disrupting peace and stability”, not just on the Korean Peninsula, but the whole region, said Mr Teo.
Hong Kong has a new leader in Chief Executive-elect Carrie Lam, and the territory will soon mark 20 years as a Special Administrative Region, since its return to China from Britain.
Cross-strait relations have become more complicated as the politics in Taiwan become more complex, said Mr Teo, adding that Singapore has always maintained its One China policy.
“As an old friend of both sides, we have hosted the 1993 Wang-Koo talks and the 2015 Xi-Ma meeting and will continue to support the peaceful and stable development of cross-strait relations,” he said.
Mr Teo also noted that the Communist Party of China is gearing up for leadership changes in this year’s National Congress, and China itself is undergoing rapidly changing demographic, economic and social changes.
And as China grows in economic and military weight, Mr Teo said he is “optimistic” about the country’s ability to reinvent itself and play a greater leadership role both within the region and globally.
“The East Asian story is an exciting and dynamic one, continuing to unfold. China is a key player in the story, and Singapore is a part of this great drama,” he concluded.
KUALA LUMPUR: A manufacturing company has been ordered to pay RM265,000 (S$85,599) to actress Vanidah Imran as payment for the balance of a contract between both parties.
But Sessions Court (Civil) judge Roszianayati Ahmad dismissed Vanidah’s claim for RM500,000 in damages for using her image without consent upon expiry of the contract as well as general, exemplary and aggravated damages.
Roszianayati said Vanidah failed to prove that the defendant, Ronasutra cosmetics manufacturer Miliyasutra Industries Sdn Bhd, had used her photograph or allowed Singapore-based online skincare company Beauty Runcit to use it without her consent.
She said the plaintiff also failed to prove that Beauty Runcit had direct contact with the defendant and that the testimony of Beauty Runcit operator Rashidah Rahim, the defendant’s first witness, showed she had personally used Vanidah’s photograph to promote Miliyasutra Industries’ products on her website.
“After considering clause 5 of the contract, the court finds that it is the defendant’s obligation to pay the plaintiff a total of RM490,000 for a two-year contract entered by the parties.
“It is also not disputed that the contract between the plaintiff and the defendant had been completed within the period,” she said yesterday.
She said Miliyasutra Industries could not deny the payment as agreed, and also ordered the company to pay Vanidah RM10,950 in costs.
Vanidah, 44, filed the suit on Oct 28 last year.
In her statement of claim, the actress said she signed a contract worth RM490,000 with Miliyasutra Industries in September 2012 for two years and during that period, she had fulfilled her responsibilities without receiving any complaint from the defendant.
However, Vanida claimed that when the contract expired in September 2014, she had yet to receive the balance payment of RM265,000.
Martial law in Mindanao would not be different from martial law during the time of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, President Duterte said before leaving Moscow for Manila.
Mr. Duterte had put the entire island of Mindanao under martial law following the recent terror attacks in Marawi.
“Martial law is martial law. So kayong mga kababayan ko, you’ve experienced martial law, it would not be any different from what the President Marcos did. I’d be harsh,” Mr. Duterte said in a Facebook live interview with Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson of the Presidential Communications Operations Office.
Countries favoured by young Japanese as destinations to study abroad are changing, partly because of frequent terrorist attacks in Europe and the US government’s shift in immigration policies.
The United States and Britain, which had been most favoured before, are now being shunned. It is said that Canada, long popular among Japanese students, and Australia are now favoured as study abroad destinations.
To enhance Japan’s international competitiveness, both the public and private sectors are encouraging young Japanese to study abroad.
But there is concern about Japanese students who are hesitant to study abroad.
In March this year, a seminar was held in Tokyo mainly for university students who are considering studying abroad. Attendees asked many questions about what it is like being a foreign student in the United States and European countries.
“I can’t feel comfortable about the United States’ immigration policy now,” said Kengo Kumon, 19, from Yokohama. “I prefer a country that is more tolerant of foreigners than the United States.”
He said he was considering studying in Canada.
Ayano Watanabe, 20, a third-year student at Nihon University’s College of Humanities and Sciences who planned to study abroad for a short period, said: “The attractiveness of the United States as a destination to study abroad has not changed, as there are many entities there that accept foreign students, such as language schools. But I’m anxious about possibly being discriminated against.”
She also expressed worry about the recent terror attacks in Europe.
“Watching recent news reports, I can’t consider any European country,” she said.
A terrorist attack occurred near the British Parliament in London in March. Five people were killed in the incident.
On April 20 in Paris, one police officer was killed, and two police officers were injured in a shooting on the Champs-Elysees. A series of other terrorist attacks have also occurred in France.
In the United States, President Donald Trump aims to impose strict regulations on immigrants.
Partly because of those factors, the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry said it has recently received numerous inquiries about the situation in European countries and the United States.
Now many young Japanese favour Canada and Australia as their destinations because the conditions in those countries are good, by comparison.
The top six spots in the popularity rankings for study-abroad destinations among people who departed in summer last year were all held by cities in Canada, Australia and New Zealand, according to Ryugaku Journal, an information magazine about studying abroad.
Compared with rankings 10 years ago, the rankings of Los Angeles and London fell.
“Due to the effects from the inauguration of [US] President Trump and the series of terrorist incidents, the tendency to shun European countries and the United States is only growing stronger,” said an official of the magazine’s publisher.
Govt worried about decline
The Japanese government worries that there may be fewer Japanese who wish to study abroad due to recent international developments.
There were 84,456 Japanese who studied at universities and graduate schools overseas in fiscal 2015, according to the Japan Student Services Organisation.
The government set a goal of annually sending about 120,000 university students abroad by 2020, when the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games are to be held.
However, the reality is that young Japanese have been less enthusiastic about studying abroad than their counterparts in China and South Korea.
When the Japan Youth Research Institute, an incorporated foundation, conducted a survey of high school students in four countries – Japan, the United States, China and South Korea – in 2012, the percentage of students who were “interested” or “somewhat interested” were 70.7 per cent in South Korea, 69.5 per cent in China and 64.6 per cent in the United States.
The figure in Japan was the lowest at 57.2 per cent, and the percentage of Japanese students who replied that they were not at all interested was 15.9 per cent. This figure was more than double those in South Korea and China.
As to why they did not wish to study abroad, more than half of those who stated their disinterest said that living in their own country is comfortable.
In a survey by the education ministry in fiscal 2013, in which about 500,000 high school students responded, about 56 per cent of them replied they did not wish to study abroad.
Since 2013, the education ministry has implemented a project dubbed, “Tobitate! Ryugaku Japan” (Go study abroad, Japan!), with co-operation from private companies. The project aims to encourage more young Japanese to study abroad and to have more Japanese of all ages study abroad.
More than 200 companies, which agree to foster global-minded people, expressed support and have co-operated with the project.
The companies have partially financed high school and university students’ studies abroad.
“Though we assume there are a sizable number of students and their parents who feel worried, overseas situations don’t mean Japanese are rejected overseas,” said a ministry official in charge of the issue. “Therefore, we hope Japanese will not hesitate to study in other countries.”
An incident that looks to be a hit-and-run case was caught on video this morning by another driver who tried to chase after the car in an attempt to stop the driver from fleeing.
Ms L. Tan, 36, was on her way to work at about 7.20am this morning when she saw a Toyota Prius knock into a man while pulling out of Surin Road onto Upper Serangoon Road.
The incident was captured within the first 5 seconds of her in-car camera video.
When Ms Tan saw that the driver did not stop to help the pedestrian, she tried to stop the driver by driving alongside the car.
“I honked at the driver and signalled for her to stop but she looked at me nonchalantly and continued to drive away,” said the assistant sales manager, who even tried to stop her car in front of the Toyota driver.
According to Ms Tan, the driver looks to be at least 70 years old and had a small child in the back seat.
She told AsiaOne that she was not able to stop the car as the woman continued to ignore her and drove off. She then pulled over and called the police immediately.
Police have confirmed the incident along Upper Serangoon Road.
According to the Road Traffic Act, the driver of a motor vehicle must render assistance if involved in an accident that causes injury to any person.
If any person fails to do so, he or she may be found guilty and could face a maximum fine of $3,000 or 12 months’ jail.
