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Daily News on the Southeast Asian Region
13 May 2020  (pm) - 14 May 2020 (am)
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This is a daily information alert service containing articles and commentaries from international and regional news sources. The alert is released every Monday to Friday, focussing on Southeast Asia and special topics relevant to ISEAS' research interests. You can click on any of the links below to directly access the subject of your immediate interest. If you think your friends and colleagues would find this alert useful, please invite them to  subscribe .

 
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Cambodia
Cambodia

1 .
Government rejects NGO report on "war on drugs": Chin Malin, spokesman of the Justice Ministry and vice-chairman of the Cambodian Human Rights Committee said yesterday: "We do not deny [report], but we are still doubtful of the accuracy of the report. How did they do their research, collect information and come to their conclusion?" [...] Cambodia's prison population has skyrocketed by 78% since the campaign started, from 21,900 at the end of 2016 to over 38,990 in March 2020, even though Cambodia's prisons only can accommodate an estimated capacity of 26,593.
 

2 .
When Hun Sen Met Kem Sokha: Was it really as newsworthy as it became that, on May 5, former opposition leader Kem Sokha, who remains on trial for treason, met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen at a funeral ceremony for the first lady's mother. ...Is this the beginning of a "culture of dialogue 2.0," a reference to the ill-fated comprise between the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) and CNRP between 2014 and 2016? Does this indicate that Kem Sokha's ordeal is nearing an end? Voice of America chose to run a piece with the headline, "Hopes of a Political Compromise are Kindled as Kem Sokha and Hun Sen Meet." Does it indicate that Hun Sen wants to wrap up Kem Sokha's trial quickly, and will look favorably upon his rival?

3 .
Hopes raised for way to save partial loss of EBA: Yang Kim Eng, president of the People Centre for Development and Peace, said yesterday dialogues between political actors and politicial developments could influence the European Union's decisions over the EBA... He said most of Kingdom's garment and footwear products are exported to EU's markets and politicians should express their commitment to save the EBA. "Like it or not, political developments will influence the EU decision," Mr Kim Eng said. "The most important thing is that if our politicians have no willingness to compromise, then the last chance will be over."
Indonesia
Indonesia

4 .
EDITORIAL: Coal barons win: Indonesia's coal barons have won on almost all counts of the interests they have been fighting for over the past four years. The central government has regained full control over mineral resources, with regional administrations stripped entirely of their authority in mining licenses. These are some of the crucial revisions to the 2009 Mining Law that the House of Representatives approved on Tuesday for immediate effect.
 

5 .
Pandemic hits Indonesia's push for inclusive growth: Bappenas: The pandemic ... was directly battering at least nine indicators in the index, especially employment opportunity, inequality and poverty. Without enough inclusiveness, the poorest 20 percent of the population were hit hardest by the pandemic with most of them lacking access to decent toilet and hand washing facilities, which are precisely the means to prevent COVID-19 contagion.

6 .
Silence leads to continued injustice and impunity: Despite President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's promise to settle past human rights cases, this mass rape has not been addressed and discrimination cases against the ethnic Chinese have continued. Two of the big discrimination cases during the Jokowi's period involved ethnic Chinese people who spoke against the injustice they experienced.
 
Soe Tjen Marching, Senior lector at the Department of Languages, Culture and Linguistics at the SOAS University of London
Jakarta Post, 14 May 2020
https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/05/14/silence-leads-continued-injustice-and-impunity.html


7 .
Perbankan Syariah Perluas Jaringan di Aceh [Syariah banking widens its net in Aceh]: Region Head I Mandiri Syariah Ahmad Zailani menyampaikan, dengan perluasan ini, jaringan kantor Mandiri Syariah di Aceh saat ini menjadi 36 outlet. Zailani mengatakan, penambahan kantor ini juga diharapkan dapat meningkatkan aset Mandiri Syariah di Aceh mencapai Rp 2,24 triliun per Maret 2020. Jumlah tersebut naik 57,91 persen dari periode tahun sebelumnya yang sebesar Rp 1,41 triliun.

8 .
Indonesia Gambles on Reopening Economy: Facing a severe economic dilemma from rising poverty and unemployment and stalled infrastructure projects, the Indonesian government, over the objection of epidemiologists on a second wave before the first one is finished, plans to open up business and social activity starting June 1 despite the rising number of positive cases and deaths from Covid-19. The government also faces a crisis from the return of anywhere from 1.3 million to 2.1 million people from their villages following mudik, the Eid al Fitr celebration at the end of Ramadan, on May 24, over concerns that they will be bringing the virus back with them.
 

9 .
Negara rentan salah gunakan kewenangan selama pandemi: pentingnya MK adopsi sistem pengaduan konstitusional [Vulnerable countries misuse authority during pandemic: the importance of the Constitutional Court adopting a constitutional complaints system]: Mantan hakim ketua MKRI, Hamdan Zoelva, bahkan menyatakan bahwa semenjak didirikan, MK banyak menerima pengajuan kasus yang pada hakekatnya adalah constitutional complaint namun tidak dapat diterima karena tidak adanya kewenangan. Idealnya, diperlukan amandemen konstitusi atau setidaknya revisi undang-undang yang mengatur constitutional complaint sebagai kewenangan kehakiman MK.
 
Kris Wijoyo Soepandji, Assistant Professor of Law. Theory of State Lecturer, Universitas Indonesia; Fakhridho Susilo, PhD Candidate in Policy and Governance at the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
Conversation, 13 May 2020
https://theconversation.com/negara-rentan-salah-gunakan-kewenangan-selama-pandemi-pentingnya-mk-adopsi-sistem-pengaduan-konstitusional-137782


10 .
What Do the May 1998 Riots Mean for Young Chinese Indonesians?: It was 22 years ago this month when racial violence against Chinese Indonesians broke out in Indonesia. Amid the violence, over 1,000 died and thousands were more bankrupted or fled the country. People who had not been born then - Generation Z or Gen-Zers - are highly aware of this side of history despite having no direct experience with the event. Supported by their tech savviness and influenced by global movements, young Chinese Indonesians are forming new social alliances and building their own narratives.

11 .
Rancangan Stimulus Bagi Kelas Menengah Indonesia [Stimulus package for Indonesia's middle class]: Stimulus tersebut sebenarnya sempat direncanakan pada paket stimulus pertama pemerintah pada Februari. Hanya saja, seiring dengan restriksi mobilisasi manusia dan pelarangan wisata, stimulus belum dikucurkan. Selain itu, dalam PEN, pemerintah juga menganggarkan Rp 25 triliun untuk stimulus penguatan permintaan agregat melalui dukungan ke sektor pariwisata dan voucher makanan secara daring.

12 .
Indonesia, EU Hopeful on Green Agenda amid Pandemic: In spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Commission has revealed that hopes remain high in maintaining their diplomatic and economic ties with Indonesia, geared to fulfill the Commission's Green Deal. As stated by Chief of the European Commission Executive Vice President's Private Office, Diederik Samsom, the European Union (EU) Green Deal, first presented in December 2019, is a set of environmental and climate policies aiming to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.

13 .
Winners and losers in Indonesia's plans for a new capital city: Indonesian President Joko Widodo is forging ahead with his grand plans to replace Jakarta with a new capital on the island of Borneo, but beyond the upbeat political rhetoric, many questions remain. ... Dr Amanda Achmadi and Dr Wawan Mas'udi join presenter Ali Moore to discuss this seemingly herculean undertaking.
 
[38-minute podcast]

14 .
Tambahan 4,2 Juta Pengangguran dan Kebolehan Bekerja Kembali [Can additional 4.2 million unemployed return to work]: Untuk menahan laju pertumbuhan pengangguran, pemerintah menetapkan pemulihan kegiatan ekonomi sebagai fokus pembangunan tahun depan melalui Rancangan Kerja Pemerintah (RKP) 2021. Khususnya sektor industri manufaktur, perdagangan dan pariwisata yang kini mengalami terpurukan. Padahal, Suharso menekankan, dua sektor ini memiliki tingkat penyerapan tenaga kerja yang besar.

15 .
Opinion: Toothless Supervisory Council - The latest recommendations from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Supervisory Council are as effective as firing blank ammunition. Although a faint sound can be heard outside the KPK office building, there is virtually no effect. Unfortunately, the Supervisory Council cannot force the KPK leadership selected by President Joko Widodo to implement its recommendations.
 

16 .
Opinion: Irregular Regulation - SOW rice but reap weeds. This old Indonesian saying is appropriate to describe Presidential Regulation No. 44/2020 on the certification system for sustainable Indonesian oil palm plantations. This regulation should make people happy because it raises the level of the oil palm industry from being regulated by the ministry of agriculture to being a matter for the president. But it seems that this promotion is simply a sweetener at a time of onslaught from international markets on our oil palm industry, which is frustrated in the face of accusations of responsibility for deforestation and violations of human rights.
Laos
Laos

17 .
Condolences on the passing of General Sisavath Keobounphanh: The Central Executive Committee, National Assembly, government, Lao Front for National Development and the Keobounphanh family wish to inform Party members, officials, army personnel and compatriots of the sad passing of General Sisavath Keobounphanh following a long illness. [...] He also formerly served as the nation's Prime Minister, Vice President, President of the Lao Front for National Development...

18 .
Laos attracts investment of USD36 billion since opening up to the world: The Ministry of Planning and Investment, which is in charge of public and private investment administration, unveiled the latest figures recently, which showed that from 1989 to 2019 the total number of investment projects was 6,144, with an overall investment value of USD36.8 billion... The most popular investment sector among both Lao and foreign companies from 1989 to 2019 was electricity generation, which attracted investment of about USD14 billion and was the largest investment sector. The second sector attracting a significant amount of Lao and foreign funding during this period was mining, with total investment of USD7.5 billion.
Malaysia
Malaysia

19 .
Is Dr M losing PKR and DAP support? Questions are being raised over the apparent absence of PKR and DAP support for Dr Mahathir Mohamad's bid to oust Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin through a motion of no-confidence. Two political observers said they were perplexed by PKR's and DAP's silence on Mahathir's proposal as well as on a failed bid by Warisan president Shafie Apdal to submit a motion of confidence in the former prime minister, who is PPBM's chairman and whose faction of the party still works with the Pakatan Harapan coalition.
 

20 .
Johor Sultan warns of 'virus' that will infect politicians and divide the public: Johor's Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar today warned elected representatives in the state against political infighting and backstabbing for personal gain, reminding them that the country was still in the middle of a pandemic. He said such activities were akin to creating a "virus" among politicians that would infect the rest of the country with their divisiveness.

21 .
Parliament secretary replaced after change in agenda for one-day sitting: A number of reasons for the change have been cited including a report by the Malay Mail Online quoting a source as saying that Riduan was being replaced for being secretive over the filing of no-confidence motions against Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Sabah Chief Minister Shafie Apdal.

Malaysiakini, 14 May 2020
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/525641


22 .
'Chief' Anwar defends statement with Dr M, says not bound by old pact: The PKR president said the statement was issued on the basis that he is now the chief of the opposition, which includes the Bersatu faction aligned to Mahathir. He pointed out that Pakatan Harapan, which lost its hold on federal power due to a political coup in late February, is no longer bound by its previous agreement.

Malaysiakini, 14 May 2020
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/525632


23 .
Mahathir: Maybe Muhyiddin has Umno 'sickness', likes to flout rules: Mahathir said Muhyiddin had also erred by appointing Hamzah Zainuddin as the party's secretary-general. Not only was the move not discussed with him as required by the party constitution, he said the appointment went against a supreme council decision to bar former Umno members from holding any party positions should they be accepted into Bersatu.

Malaysiakini, 14 May 2020
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/525607


24 .
Selangor tough nut for Perikatan to crack: Selangor Amanah chairman Izham Hashim did not deny there had been attempts to persuade the party's eight state reps to jump ship. Such overtures have been rejected, he said. ... Selangor DAP secretary Ronnie Liu said all 16 of the party's assemblymen are fully behind Menteri Besar Aminuddin Shaari and the PH state government.

Malaysian Insight, 14 May 2020
https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/s/245339


25 .
Some 'firsts' with Perikatan's one-day sitting: The unprecedented event has thrown up some facts that illustrate the state of Malaysian politics where the PN government is seen as trying to avoid a challenge to its legitimacy. Although state assemblies have been known to hold only single-day sittings, this is a first in the national legislature.

Malaysian Insight, 14 May 2020
https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/s/245346


26 .
Covid-19 ushers in the new normal for Chini by-election: Political analyst from Universiti Putra Malaysia, Associate Professor Dr Anuar Shah Bali Mahomed said the Chini by-election could see many firsts including the first under the new normal or held during the Movement Control Order (MCO), held under the PN federal government and ruling Barisan Nasional Pahang government. He said judging by the current pandemic, the Election Commission (EC) is certain to introduce a new set of guidelines after consulting the National Security Council (NSC) and Health Ministry.

27 .
Reasonable' to limit Parliament session to royal address: Universiti Utara Malaysia political analyst Prof Dr Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani said the move would prevent a general election from being called, which is crucial at the moment considering the Covid-19 crisis is far from over. He also pointed out that the decision was similar to other states such as Kedah, Penang and Sabah, which held their state assembly sittings for only one day recently.

28 .
Normal baharu melawan warga asing di KL [The new normal is against foreigners in KL]: Congaknya mudah sahaja; orang kita diberikan lesen berniaga oleh pihak berkuasa. Tetapi oleh sebab malas, bodoh dan ingin untung mudah, lesen itu digadaikan kepada pendatang asing.
 

29 .
寸步难行的阿兹敏 [Azmin is stuck] : 阿兹敏加入土团党,实际上是避风港的考量,他没有为土团党奋斗的条件,完全没有党内基本盘支持,而且阿兹敏走到今天,他都从未拥有专属的政治光谱,他的成名完全顺巫统和蓝眼的大流而上,不得不说,我们没有办法从阿兹敏联想到甚么理想愿景,所以,对阿兹敏等人来讲,尽快找适当机会创建新党,开发自己的光谱,召各路人马归队是其要务。
 
冯振豪
Sinchew
星洲网 , 14 May 2020
https://www.sinchew.com.my/content/content_2271095.html


30 .
Johor govt aims to set up company in Singapore: The state government is planning to set up the Johor Investment Company (Jico) in Singapore soon in an effort to boost bilateral relationships with its neighbour across the Causeway. Mentri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad said that Jico's main function was to improve and ease trade between Johor and Singapore.

31 .
Parliament should not sit in vain: It is reported that the Dewan Rakyat will convene on May 18, 2020 but for only one day. The sitting is being held only to discuss government Bills and matters. The report apparently also states that there will be no oral and written question sessions or motions in light of the COVID 19 pandemic.
If Parliament is a place 'to talk', can the Dewan Rakyat then sit just for a day? After all, it is a place of gathering of the elected representatives of the people who have questions that require answers for the people. This article will now deal with the constitutionality of the one-day sitting.
 
Datuk Joy Appukuttanii
Edge Markets, 13 May 2020
https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/parliament-should-not-sit-vain


32 .
Covid-19 not an excuse to restrict media coverage of Parliament: It is ... tantamount to not acknowledging the legitimate role of these media organisations that represent diverse interests and concerns in our multiethnic society. The two government media organisations will have a slant to their coverage of the sitting, which often ignores other perspectives on the issues debated in the chamber.
 
Mustafa K. Anuar
Malaysian Insight, 13 May 2020
https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/s/245150


33 .
Nampak berdendam kepada PKR [Grudge against PKR]: Di sela-sela berita yang tidak bernilai lagi itu, lembaran yang terhampar ialah kisah dendam bekas-bekas pemimpin Keadilan yang luar biasa terhadap Keadilan. Sakit hati dan merana jiwa yang lebih parah ketimbang Anwar atau para pengikutnya tercampak keluar daripada Umno dan kerajaan pada 1998 dulu.
 
Hasmi Hashim
Malaysian Insight, 13 May 2020
https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/bahasa/s/245174


34 .
Pisang berbuah dua kali di Kedah [Bananas bear fruit twice in Kedah]: Apa yang terjadi dalam politik Kedah menempa sejarah tersendiri apabila Menteri Besarnya, Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir dua kali disingkirkan daripada kerusi empuknya.
 

35 .
Industri digesa jana kelangsungan perniagaan pasca Covid-19 [Industries urged to generate post-Covid-19 business continuity]: "Antara kebimbangan utama bukan hanya jumlah pekerjaan, tetapi juga pentingnya produktiviti pekerja kita," kata Azmin dalam ucapan pada forum bertajuk 'Rethink, Reinvent, Revitalise in the New Normal' hari ini.

36 .
Pelan pemulihan ekonomi jangka pendek akan dilancar: Zafrul [Short-term economic recovery plan will be launched: Zafrul]: Menteri Kewangan, Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz berkata, perancangan tersebut termasuklah garis panduan kesihatan dan kaedah operasi selamat dalam normal baharu dan pembangunan kapasiti.

37 .
Opinion: Who is the Malays' worst enemy? They have been brainwashed into thinking that the Chinese are the enemy, and they fail to criticize the Malay leaders involved in large-scale corruption. They also fail to censure the Malays who contribute to the high consumption of internet porn on the east coast, the drug taking, incest and the high percentage of the Malay community infected with sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and HIV/AIDS.
 
Mariam Mokhtar
Sinchew
星洲网 , 13 May 2020
https://www.sinchew.com.my/content/content_2270726.html


38 .
慕尤丁的日子在倒数中 [Muhyiddin's days are numbered] ?慕尤丁可说是大马史上最弱势的首相,四面楚歌。他邀请 12 个政党加盟以巩固 " 国民联盟 " ,但碰了一鼻子灰。巫统主席阿末扎希说,巫统对国盟的支持,是建立在个别巫统国会议员加盟政府的基础上。扎希绝对不是吴下阿蒙,必要时他会让慕尤丁 " 吃不了,兜着走 " 。慕尤丁组织了一个庞大的内阁,正副部长多达 70 人,但仍满足不了他的要求,尤其是他觊觎的副首相职位,至今没有下文。
 
卜佛海
Sinchew
星洲网 , 13 May 2020
https://www.sinchew.com.my/content/content_2271062.html


39 .
Malaysian government illegitimate, says Mahathir, after no-confidence vote blocked: With the legislature sitting only for one day, the move effectively means Mahathir will not be able to go ahead with a plan to table a motion of no-confidence against Muhyiddin, who took power in March and is a former ally of the 94-year-old. The government's move had been expected with observers saying it had planned to push back debates to July to delay the turmoil that would set in once parliament sits.

40 .
Awas kesan domino pengangguran [Beware of the domino effect of unemployment]: Kadar pengangguran yang direkodkan itu adalah yang paling tinggi sejak 34 tahun lalu. Kadar pengangguran tertinggi pernah dicatatkan di Malaysia adalah pada kadar 7.4 peratus pada tahun 1986.
Myanmar
Myanmar

41 .
Two Rohingya Girls Die in Mine Blasts as UN Extends Arrangement with Myanmar: On Monday, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) agreed with the Myanmar government to extend a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for activities in Rakhine state through June 2021, including the so far fruitless effort to convince fearful Rohingya to return to Myanmar.
Thailand
Thailand

42 .
Bangkok's heritage vanishes as urbanization speeds up: So why are so many people in Bangkok unconcerned by the pace of change? Part of the blame, says Yongtanit [Pimonsathean, an expert on heritage conservation in Thailand], lies with the Thai education system. "Students in schools are taught that temples, palaces and stately buildings are important historic monuments, but ordinary structures like shophouses, ancient wooden dwellings or street markets are seen to have little cultural value," he says.

43 .
Trade, Global Value Chains, and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Thailand: A Firm-Level Panel Analysis
 
[24-page PDF document]
 
Upalat Korwatanasakul and Sasiwimon Warunsiri Paweenawat
Asian Development Bank, 13 May 2020
https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/604661/adbi-wp1130.pdf


44 .
Thai Activists Use Light Show to Jog Memories of Crackdown: A group of political activists in Thailand has taken credit for staging nighttime light shows marking the anniversary of the army's violent quashing of an anti-government uprising in 2010. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, asked Tuesday about the action, said that as the country battles the spread of the coronavirus, people should work together and not start any campaigns that could spread havoc and confusion....The action, carried out Sunday night by a group called the Progressive Movement, came ahead of the May 19 anniversary of the army's final clearance of demonstrators.

45 .
Thailand's new student hairstyle regulations still curtail bodily autonomy: In other words, the issue of student hairstyles has expanded beyond the relaxation of regulations to the question: "Does the requirement that students cut their hair infringe on the rights and liberties of students under a liberal-democratic framework?" Liberal-democratic philosophies emphasise the concept of "the individual", an actor with thoughts of their own who is able to exercise their rights and liberties as they see fit provided they do not infringe on those of others.
 
Netiwit Chotiphatphaisal & Sitthikarn Theerawatanachai
New Mandala, 13 May 2020
https://www.newmandala.org/thailands-new-student-hairstyle-regulations-still-curtail-bodily-autonomy/

Vietnam
Vietnam

46 .
言论 :越南改革为何值得重视 [The importance of reform in Vietnam] : 对越南经济发展规划,学术界有不同的看法。一种观点认为,越南外向型的经济发展政策存在巨大的国际风险,一旦国际金融市场或者贸易市场发生变化,越南经济有可能会面临灭顶之灾。但也有一种观点认为,越南经济改革开放政策是完全正确的。如果单独依靠国内市场实现经济转型,越南经济增长速度会逐渐放慢,因为在短期内提高越南人均收入不现实,只有参与国际分工,积极融入国际市场,才能确保实现经济的快速发展。
 
乔新生是中国人权研究会理事、海峡两岸关系法学研究会理事、中南财经政法大学教授
Lianhe Zaobao
联合早报 , 14 May 2020
https://www.zaobao.com.sg/forum/views/opinion/story20200514-1053204


47 .
Mekong Capital CEO: Vietnam likely to emerge as a world leader: In his recent story, Mekong Capital CEO Chris Freund looks at Vietnam's history spanning thousands of years and concludes it is time to reconsider what it means to be a "superpower" country in the world, and that Vietnam can be a new kind of superpower...

48 .
Vietnam's COVID-19 crisis response can increase opportunities for the country to emerge as a leader at regional and global levels: In light of the disruptions in global supply chains and international trade, on which it significantly depends, Vietnam could consider taking urgent system-wide measures, such as increasing financial support for domestic micro, small and medium enterprises to enable them to remain solvent and reduce unemployment. Priority should be placed on those that can provide both significant formal employment and domestic value-added backward linkages for key strategic global supply chains prioritising in green technologies and agricultural value-added industries in which Vietnam has clear competitive advantages.
 

49 .
National production capacity of fabric key to optimising EVFTA benefits: The Vietnamese National Assembly is expected to ratify the EVFTA in May followed by the trade pact coming into force sometime in July. Currently, most of Vietnamese garment items enjoy a preferential tax rate of 9% under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). However, they are not subject to tax cuts as soon as the EVFTA takes effect, as the trade pact has applied a fundamental tax rate of 12% in line with the Most Favored Nation (MFN) tariffs. Moreover, the EVFTA stipulates that fabrics used to make products must originate from either Vietnam, the EU, or the Republic of Korea, another nation that has signed a FTA with the EU, in addition to the making process not being outsourced.
SEA
ASEAN/Southeast Asia

50 .
COVID-19 Could Spark a New Era of Piracy in Southeast Asia: Out of all the possible aftershocks from the COVID-19 pandemic, a surge in piracy may not be the most obvious. But Southeast Asia - and those countries so dependent on trade passing peacefully through the region - should anticipate it. Research shows that people turn to piracy when economic opportunities elsewhere are scarce. It is a potentially lucrative profession; states and companies frequently pay ransoms set by pirates without much fuss since insurance more than covers the cost of doing so. In addition, shipping companies cut down on crews and safety measures to save on costs at times of economic hardship, making them more vulnerable to piracy (and armed robbery at sea).

51 .
COVID-19 and the Rationale for Stronger Indian Links with Southeast Asia: India must eschew a piecemeal strategy and broaden the scope of its COVID-19 outreach eastward to strengthen its Act East Policy (AEP), fortify its credibility in Southeast Asia, and balance Chinese interventions. For India, institutionalising crisis-time trans-regional cooperation carries both short and medium-to-long term imperatives.
 
Angshuman Choudhury and Ashutosh Nagda
Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, 13 May 2020
http://www.ipcs.org/comm_select.php?articleNo=5687


ASEAN-US

52 .
US Should Give ASEAN Alternatives to Chinese Loans, Ex-Envoy Says : As China emerges from the COVID-19 crisis earlier than most nations, it has the time and resources to switch focus to other priorities, such as its relations in Southeast Asia. But for those who worry that Beijing will outspend other world powers to buy influence, there's still time for the U.S. to counter that influence, according to a former U.S. economic envoy to China. And it might not be as hard or as expensive as some think.

VOA Cambodia, 13 May 2020
https://www.voacambodia.com/a/5418040.html

AP
Asia Pacific

53 .
Climate Challenge More Terrifying Than Pandemic: Governments' inadequate or irresponsible handling of the COVID-19 crisis, of which Brazil and Nicaragua offer textbook examples, will strain relations with citizens and lead to increased public concern and dissatisfaction. It would not be surprising for tensions to culminate in civil unrest on a broader level, given the number of countries where food and water shortages, triggered by the state's failure to adapt to climate-related setbacks, have fuelled social upheaval. There is also a serious risk that official mismanagement of the public-health crisis will marginalise populations even more and increase tensions along geographical, ethnic, or sectarian lines.
 

54 .
The renewable energy transition is coming to Asia: China has been the world's largest investor in renewable energy in the last decade. The IEEFA expects Chinese renewables to reach grid parity with coal-fired power nationally in 2020 as capacity expansions drive economies of scale and continuing deflation. While South and Southeast Asia have been renewables laggards, Asia is nevertheless on the cusp of a dramatic pivot. Recent developments across India, China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Taiwan highlight the potential for change.

55 .
Asia needs a megaphone: The region is central to the global economy, providing indispensable links to multinational supply chains for virtually every product. While the popular conception of Asia's contribution to those supply chains is low-cost labor, the region is increasingly adding value at the high end of this process, providing innovation, design and specialized inputs, as well as taking an expanding share of final consumption, courtesy of that burgeoning middle class. The staggering number of ultrarich in Asia is another important development, but the growing middle class is the key.
 
SCS
East/South China Sea

56 .
It's time for Vietnam and ASEAN to challenge Beijing in the South China Sea: Vietnam should pursue national and regional institutional renovation and shift away from its ideological crossroads, where it's caught between the US and China, to achieve sustainable economic growth and greater strategic resilience. As Vietnam tries to be less dependent on China on many fronts, it should defend its sovereignty and vital interests in the South China Sea. It should bring the South China Sea disputes to UN forums and the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
 

57 .
U.S. Navy maintains persistent presence near West Capella in East Sea: The Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10) operated in the southern South China Sea, marking the second time that an LCS patrolled there since USS Montgomery (LCS 8) sailed with USNS Cesar Chavez (T-AKE 14), May 7, supporting freedom of navigation and overflight. "The versatility and flexibility of Independence-variant littoral combat ships rotationally deployed to Southeast Asia is a game changer," said Rear Adm. Fred Kacher, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 7. "Like Montgomery's previous operations, Gabrielle Giffords' operations near West Capella demonstrate the depth of capability the U.S. Navy has available in the region."

58 .
U.S. Warships Support Malaysia Against China Pressure in South China Sea: The U.S. has sent three naval ships on patrols near oil-and-gas operations off Malaysia's coast in recent days, a show of support for the Southeast Asian nation whose offshore explorations in the South China Sea have faced pressure from China.

 


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