Category Archives: Asia Pacific

Former Tuvalu PM says he was ‘stunned’ by Scott Morrison’s behaviour at Pacific Islands Forum

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Enele Sopoaga says he was also ‘insulted and deeply angry’ at comments made by Australian deputy prime minister Michael McCormack

The former prime minister of Tuvalu has said he was “stunned” by Scott Morrison’s behaviour at the recent Pacific Islands Forum, which he though communicated the view that Pacific leaders should “take the money … then shut up about climate change”.

Enele Sopoaga, speaking at the national conference of the Australian Council for International Development (Acfid) in Sydney on Wednesday, said Morrison’s behaviour at the forum, which Tuvalu hosted in August, was “dismissive” of the concerns of the Pacific regarding the climate crisis.

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Chinese cafe featuring dogs dyed to look like pandas facing backlash

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‘I suggest dyeing cafe owner black and white,’ says one critic over stunt in Chengdu

A cafe in China featuring chow chow dogs painted as panda cubs has prompted widespread criticism over the treatment of the pets.

The Cute Pet Games cafe opened last month in Chengdu in the south-west Sichuan province, home to a large proportion of the endangered bear species, featuring six fluffy chow chows dyed white and black.

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‘Dark day for human rights’: Subianto named as Indonesia’s defence minister

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General who has been accused of abuses is named in cabinet of Joko Widodo, against whom he ran for president

The Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, has appointed as his defence minister his former bitter election rival Prabowo Subianto – an ex-army general accused of human rights abuses.

Widodo announced his cabinet line-up on Wednesday having beaten Subianto in April’s general election. At least nine people died and more than 200 were injured due to riots in Jakarta following the fraught campaign, during which Subianto accused Widodo’s government of hosting a “massive, systematic and fraudulent” election.

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Kim Jong-un orders razing of South’s ‘unpleasant’ Mount Kumgang buildings

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North Korean ruler demands makeover of joint resort, saying South Korean facilities are like ‘temporary buildings at construction sites’

Kim Jong-un has ordered the demolition of “unpleasant-looking” South Korean facilities at the Mount Kumgang resort – a rare symbol of inter-Korean collaboration – and called for them to be replaced with “modern” buildings constructed by the North.

The North’s ruler said it was a “mistake” for the resort, on the east coast, to be regarded as the common property of two Koreas given its location on North Korean soil, according to the state news agency KCNA.

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China ‘draws up plan to replace Carrie Lam’ as Hong Kong protests drag on

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Speculation over Hong Kong chief executive’s future comes as man whose murder case prompted the extradition bill is released from prison

China reportedly has plans to replace Hong Kong’s embattled leader, Carrie Lam, with an “interim” chief executive once protests have settled down.

The news emerged as the murder suspect whose case prompted the original extradition bill that in turn sparked the protest movement in June was released from prison on Wednesday.

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King’s sacking of consort highlights power of Thai monarchy

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Vajiralongkorn wields dominant control over his country’s politics and media

When Thailand’s 67-year-old King Maha Vajiralongkorn stripped his royal consort of her titles on Monday, it sent shockwaves through Thai society. Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi had spent several years as a companion to the monarch alongside the now queen, but had only been given her official title in July.

The palace claimed her title was stripped because Sineenat, 34, tried to convince the king to elevate her to the same standing as his fourth wife and current queen, Suthida Tidjai, 41.

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The five reluctant hitmen of China: group jailed over botched contract killing

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Court hears job was outsourced repeatedly before fifth hitman offered to stage the death and pocket the payment

A court in southern China has sentenced six men to prison for attempted murder in a hit job that was botched after being subcontracted several times.

According to the Nanning Intermediate People’s Court in Guangxi, in the autumn of 2013 a real estate businessman by the name Qin Youhui hired someone to take out a businessman surnamed Wei, who was suing Qin. But the hitman kept half of the 2m yuan ($280,000) Qin paid and outsourced the job, offering a new assailant the other half.

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Japan grants half a million pardons to mark enthronement of emperor Naruhito

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Petty crimes forgiven ahead of ceremony that completes ascension after father’s abdication in May

Naruhito has proclaimed himself Japan’s new emperor and vowed to “stand with the people” after performing a series of ancient rituals that culminated in his appearance on the imperial throne alongside his wife, Empress Masako.

Naruhito, who ascended the Chrysanthemum throne in May, following the abdication of his father, Akihito, marked his official enthronement on Tuesday in front of around 2,000 guests, including heads of state and other royals from more than 180 countries.

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Exposing one’s selfies: Aucklanders answer call for city snapshots – in pictures

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Curators have added 1,000 selfies to Auckland Museum’s permanent photography collection after calling on the public to submit them. ‘Our collection holds more than 3m photographs, dating back to the early days of photography, and a part of my role is to ensure our collection continues to reflect trends,’ says its curator of pictorial, Shaun Higgins. ‘The selfie is a present-day photographic phenomenon that can’t be overlooked’

• Insider’s guide to Auckland: a multicultural melting pot by the sea

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Auckland fire: thousands evacuated as huge blaze takes hold in SkyCity

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The fire started just after 1pm on the roof of the SkyCity convention centre

Thousands of people were evacuated from central Auckland on Tuesday as a massive fire burned in the heart of New Zealand’s largest city.

The fire started just after 1pm on the roof of the SkyCity convention centre, which is still under construction.

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‘Whistles, warnings, kaboom!’: a day with a landmine clearance team | Jamie Fullerton

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Aki Ra was a child soldier for Pol Pot, laying mines around Siem Reap. Now he is using his expertise to clear land in rural Cambodia and make it safe again

The rusty tailfin of the mortar round can be seen poking through the roots and mud of a small dirt patch, next to a skull and crossbones sign.

Aki Ra thinks the bomb could have been lying in rural Siem Reap, Cambodia, for 40 years. If it hadn’t been found, it may have added another death to the approximately 20,000 people killed by explosives laid in the country from the late 1960s to the 1990s.

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Shock and gnaw: rat-eating macaques ‘stun’ scientists

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Animals act as natural pest control in Malaysia’s vast palm oil plantations, reducing crop losses from rodents

Scientists in Malaysia have said they were “stunned” to discover monkeys regularly killing and eating rats on palm oil plantations, providing a natural anti-pest measure in the country, which is responsible for 30% of the world’s palm oil production.

A report released in Current Biology on Monday, showed that southern pig-tailed macaques, generally thought to eat mainly fruit plus occasionally lizards and birds, foraged for rats on plantations. The authors said that the monkeys’ appetite for rodents showed that rather than being pests, as is commonly believed, the primates’ presence reduced crop losses.

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Thailand’s king strips ‘disloyal’ royal consort of titles and military ranks

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Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi, 34, was accused of breaching code of conduct for courtiers

King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand has stripped his 34-year-old consort of all titles for “disloyalty” and apparent “ambition” to match the queen’s position, a royal command said, less than three months after Sineenat Wongvajirapakdi was bestowed with the honour.

Wongvajirapakdi – known by her nickname Koi – was gifted the title on the king’s 67th birthday on 28 July, the first time in nearly a century a Thai monarch had taken a consort.

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Hong Kong protests: police fire water cannon with blue dye as crowds defy ban

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Protestors hurl petrol bombs and smash pro-Beijing businesses as crowds descend on luxury shopping area

Hong Kong police have fired water cannon and tear gas at crowds holinding an illegal march, with hardcore protesters throwing petrol bombs and trashing businesses to cap a week of anger after recent attacks on pro-democracy demonstrators.

Authorities had forbidden Sunday’s rally in Tsim Sha Tsui, a densely-packed shopping district filled with luxury boutiques and hotels, citing public safety and previous violence from hardcore protesters.

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Experts dispel claims of China debt-trap diplomacy in Pacific but risks remain

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Beijing should substantially reform its lending practices, Lowy Institute says

China has not engaged in deliberate “debt-trap diplomacy” in the Pacific, but the burgeoning scale of China’s lending, and institutional weakness within Pacific states, pose clear risks for small states being overwhelmed by debt, a new report argues.

And an infrastructure arms race between China and other countries with interests in the region – including Australia – might only exacerbate the problem.

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Our fears will be realised if we become afraid of technology | Kenan Malik

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If we fail to learn how to use it to our advantage we fall into the hands of those have mastered it

Cast your mind back to 2011 and the Arab uprisings that began in Tunis before spreading to Egypt and beyond. Protesters used social media to communicate and coordinate, so it became the “Twitter revolution” and the “Facebook revolution”. It was the peak of techno-utopia, a moment of hope that technology would transform our political lives and put citizens in control.

Today, techno-utopia has given way to techno-dystopia. Many worry that technology is undermining democracy, spreading misinformation, equipping criminals and the authorities with new tools. This month, Apple, under pressure from the Chinese government, pulled an app that let protesters track the movements of Hong Kong police with crowdsourced data. It has been a long road from Tunis to Hong Kong. There is an element of truth about techno-utopia and dystopia. Social media makes it easier for protesters to communicate, create forums for discussion and spread information. Technology also makes it easier for authorities to snoop on citizens and control dissent.

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Superyacht linked to Jho Low and 1MDB scandal for sale again, for an extra $74m

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The Tranquility, seized by authorities and sold for a ‘bargain’ $126m in April, is back on market after stint as celebrity hangout

A superyacht once owned by Jho Low, a fugitive at the centre of Malaysia’s 1MDB financial scandal, has been put back on the market after a few months as a celebrity party venue.

The vessel, now named Tranquility, is being sold for US$200m, an increase of more than $70m on its previous price tag. It is currently owned by the Genting Group, a Malaysian conglomerate with business interests in real estate, hospitality, plantations and energy supply.

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Scott Morrison travels to Indonesia as Labor embraces free trade agreement

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PM to attend Joko Widodo’s inauguration and hold talks on FTA, which opposition leader says will be good for jobs

Scott Morrison’s whirlwind trip to Indonesia is a “good thing”, his political opponent says, as Labor embraces bipartisan support for Australia’s latest free trade agreement.

Morrison travelled to Indonesia for Joko Widodo’s second inauguration as president, with talks between the two leaders planned at the presidential palace.

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