Day: September 19, 2022

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (19 September 2022) — People in Asia and the Pacific were displaced more than 225 million times due to disasters triggered by natural hazards from 2010 to 2021, accounting for more than three-quarters of the global number, according to a report released today by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC).

The report, Disaster Displacement in Asia and the Pacific: A Business Case for Investment in Prevention and Solutions, found East Asia and Southeast Asia had the highest number of disaster displacements—nearly two-thirds of Asia and the Pacific’s total—followed closely by South Asia. It says the Pacific has the greatest displacement risk relative to its population size.

“Disaster displacement is already eroding the development gains in Asia and the Pacific and threatens the long-term prosperity of the region,” said ADB’s Chief of Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management Thematic Group Noelle O’Brien. “We need to strengthen policies and action on disaster risk management to ensure the region doesn’t regress on its development goals.”

“Disasters are costing Asia and the Pacific hundreds of billions of dollars,” said IDMC Director Alexandra Bilak. “However, the ultimate cost still lies in the millions of lives that are affected by unmitigated disaster displacement every year.”

The 225 million displacements in Asia and the Pacific include 5 million displacements by Cyclone Amphan across South Asia in 2020, 2.6 million displacements by the Gorka earthquake in Nepal in 2015, and 15.5 million displacements by floods in the People’s Republic of China in 2010. It does not include the estimated hundreds of thousands of people displaced in Pakistan due to severe flooding since June.

The report discusses the role of climate change in disaster displacement, noting that the effects of climate change are becoming visible, and are projected to increase displacement as the frequency and intensity of hazards changes and impacts on food insecurity and water scarcity. It also looks at the social and economic impacts and what steps are being taken to better prevent and prepare for disaster displacement.

It analyzes the impacts of floods, storms, earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic activity on each subregion in Asia and the Pacific, and how disaster displacement disproportionately affects vulnerable groups such as women, children, and the elderly.

The report discusses the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction as a gauge on measures undertaken to address both natural and manmade hazards and highlights the need for political, technical, and financial support in a regional concerted effort to reduce the impact of disasters on lives, livelihoods, and economies.

ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region.

 

 

Source: Asian Development Bank

On 14 September 2022, Thailand International Agency Cooperaion (TICA) hosted the GSSD Expo 2022 Networking Night at Vithes Samosorn, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The event is a part of Global South-South Development Expo 2022 (GSSD Expo 2022)—a global platform for sharing expertise and innovative development solutions.

H.E. Mr. Thani Thongphakdi, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Thailand gave a welcome speech expressing appreciation to the delegates’ contributions to the GSSD Expo 2022 and highlighted the importance of keeping the momentum going and collectively building back smarter, greener, and stronger both socially and economically. The Permanent Secretary also mentioned the Field Visit to the Golden Jubilee Museum of Agriculture in Pathum Thani Province and trusted that it was informative and useful.

One of the exciting highlights was the announcement of top 3 winners from final 8 contestants of the Youth4South Entrepreneurship Competition. Through the competition, over 200 young entrepreneurs between 18-35 years from 45 developing countries had the opportunities to gather, share knowledge and ideas, and collaborate to develop and scale up innovative solutions to address global challenges and to contribute to SDGs through South-South and Triangular Cooperation. The Permanent Secretary, together with representatives from the GSSD Expo 2022 cohosts: UNOSSC and ESCAP, presented awards to the top three winners as follows:

1. The Winner:Ms.Kavindya Thennakoon, a graduate student as the Stanford School of Education, received $3,000 together with the winner’s plague.
2. The 1st Runner-up:Mr.Gopal Kumar Mohoto, an engineer from Bangladesh, received $2,000 together with the 1st runner-up’s plague.
3. The 2nd Runner-up:Mr.Rogers Githinji, a specialist in financial international law from Uganda, received $1,000 together with the 2nd runner-up’s plague.

 

 

 

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of Thailand

On 12 – 14 September 2022, Thailand hosted the Global South-South Development Expo 2022 (GSSD Expo 2022) under the theme “Advancing South-South and Triangular Cooperation for Sustainable COVID-19 Recovery: Towards a Smart and Resilient Future” at the UN Conference Centre. The event, co-hosted between Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA), Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), served as a global platform for sharing expertise and innovative development solutions.

 

H.E. Mr. Vijavat Isarabhakdi, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of Thailand delivered opening remarks which highlighted how vital global partnerships are in tackling multiple challenges posed by COVID-19 and strengthening collective commitment among development community. Thailand remains committed to enhancing cooperation with development partners across continents towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).The partnerships are forged through increasing collaboration in various development sectors and framework with an aim to revive social and economic development.

 

On the same day, Mrs. Ureerat Chareontoh, Director-General of TICA participated in a roundtable seminar on “Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP) for SDGs by Thailand”. The roundtable focused on Thailand’s development model based on the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy and how it helps Thailand and partner countries achieve SDGs, as well as Thailand’s experiences and practices through Thailand-Bhutan agricultural cooperation.

 

On 13 – 14 Sep 2022, seminars were held on cooperation in socio-economic development, education, technology, poverty eradication, as well as food and energy security. The “Youth4South Entrepreneurship Competition” was also organised to promote youth and public engagement in advancing SDGs through business innovation. The awards ceremony took place during the GSSD Expo 2022 Networking Night at Vithes Samosorn, MFA.

 

 

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kingdom of Thailand

A total of 31 Rohingya and five boatmen were arrested as they neared a beach at Nwei Nyo Chaung village in Ayeyarwady region’s Pathein township, locals told RFA.

A resident, who did not want to be named for safety reasons, told RFA 19 Rohingya men and 12 women were arrested by junta forces on Sunday, along with a child under the age of 18 and the boat’s crew.

“They came from Rakhine State,” said the local. “They came by boat and the boat drivers were paid to carry them. Many people who get into Ayeyarwady region are often arrested.”

The resident said the Rohingya were sent to Pathein Prison on Monday morning. He added that they may have been living in Maungdaw town in Rakhine State and left because of an increase in fighting between the Arakan Army (AA) and military council forces in the area.

RFA has been unable to confirm where the Rohingya came from.

Ayeyarwady region lies directly south of Rakhine State and continues to attract Rohingya fleeing unemployment, hunger and discrimination as well as fighting between junta troops and the AA.

On Sept. 7 and 9 a total of 58 Rohingya were sentenced to two years in prison each at Bogale township court. They had been arrested on Aug. 29 near Ga Yat Gyi (Kat Tar) island in Ayeyarwady’s Pyapon township.

On July 23, this year, 22 Rohingya men and 24 women were arrested by the junta’s navy, also near Pathein township’s Shwe Thaung Yan beach.

The arrests have not been confined to Ayeyarwady. On Sept. 4, a total of 28 Rohingya were arrested in Letpadan township in the western part of Bago, according to locals. Bago is on the eastern border of Rakhine State.

From December 2021 to September 6, 2022, nearly 800 Rohingya who tried to leave Rakhine State by land or water were arrested in various parts of Myanmar, according to data compiled by RFA based on the statements of residents and local news media.

A military crackdown on the Rohingya, which started five years ago, led to more than 740,000 Rohingya fleeing to neighboring Bangladesh.

Of the more than 600,000 Rohingya who stayed in Myanmar an estimated 125,000 have been confined to camps in Rakhine State.

UPDATED AT 5:08 A.M. EST ON 9-19-2022

Taiwan once again expressed its “sincere gratitude” after U.S. President Joe Biden said during an interview his country’s military would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion.

Biden gave an exclusive interview to CBS “60 minutes” program on Thursday but the show was broadcast on Sunday. 

During the interview, the president was asked by CBS’s Scott Pelley if the U.S. would defend Taiwan, to which he replied: “Yes, if in fact there was an unprecedented attack.”

Pelley then asked Biden to clarify whether “U.S. forces, U.S. men and women, would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion”.

“Yes,” the president replied.

This is the most explicit statement  so far by Biden regarding military support for the democratic island which Beijing considers “an inalienable part of China,” and one that provoked an angry response from China.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told a press briefing on Monday that Beijing had lodged “stern representations,” with Washington.

She warned the U.S. not to send the “wrong signals” to those wanting Taiwan independence, news agencies reported.

A White House official was quick to add after the CBS interview that the U.S. policy on Taiwan has not changed.

Washington officially abides by the One-China Policy and maintains a “strategic ambiguity” towards Taiwan. Yet according to the Taiwan Relations Act, the U.S. is obligated to help the island with means to defend itself.

Earlier this month the U.S. State Department announced a U.S. $1.1 billion sale of military equipment to Taiwan despite strong protests from Beijing.

Rock solid commitment

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs “expressed its sincere gratitude to President Biden for reaffirming the U.S. government’s rock solid security commitment to Taiwan,” in a statement on Monday 

The statement noted that since August, when U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made an official visit to Taiwan, “China has escalated military provocations in the Taiwan Strait.”

The Biden administration has repeatedly supported Taiwan with public speeches and specific actions, it said. 

Last week the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed the “Taiwan Policy Act of 2022” that would see an increase in military aid to the island.

“In the face of China’s military expansion and provocative actions, the Taiwanese government will continue to strengthen its self defense capabilities, firmly resist authoritarian expansion and aggression, deepen the close security partnership between Taiwan and the United States, and strengthen cooperation with all other like-minded countries to jointly and resolutely safeguard the Taiwan Strait,” the foreign ministry said. 

China has yet to officially react to the news but Beijing has long protested against what it calls “U.S. interference in China’s internal affairs.”

Political analysts found themselves arguing over President Biden’s statement in the CBS interview. 

Last October, replying to a similar question about defending Taiwan, Biden said the U.S. has “a commitment to do that,” prompting a White House spokesperson to quickly clarify that there was no change in the U.S. policy on Taiwan.  

Confusion

“Time to stop describing these comments as ‘gaffes’,” Taylor Fravel, a China defense analyst at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, wrote on Twitter, referring to Biden’s statement.

“The president appears to believe that the TRA (Taiwan Relations Act) contains a commitment to defend Taiwan, which is why he keeps saying ‘we have a commitment to do that’ and the White House keeps saying that U.S. policy remains unchanged,” wrote Bonnie Glaser, an Asia specialist at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

Grant Newsham, a retired U.S. Marine colonel turned political analyst, said in his opinion, “it is not a good thing if reporters, pundits, and analysts have to struggle to figure out what President Biden actually means.”

“We’ve seen similar statements by President Biden ‘walked back’ by his staff… effectively saying the President didn’t really mean what he said,” Newsham told RFA.

“All in all, this latest statement just gives an impression of an administration that is confused and doesn’t have a clear policy,” said the analyst who spent months studying Taiwan’s defense in detail.

Since taking office in January 2021, Biden has made similar remarks regarding Taiwan on at least four occasions. 

Tensions have risen in the Taiwan Strait in recent months after China announced large-scale military drills around Taiwan in retaliation to Nancy Pelosi’s trip.

This story has been updated to include comment from China’s foreign ministry.

A group of 60 Vietnamese fled from a casino in Bavet city, in Cambodia’s Svay Rieng province on Saturday.

Another four were caught by the casino’s guards, Vietnam’s state-controlled media reported, citing the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia.

On Saturday afternoon, a video clip spread on social media showing dozens of Vietnamese workers fleeing in the rain from the casino at Bavet Kandal Hamlet in Bavet. The city is near a border gate leading to Vietnam’s Moc Bai gate in Tay Ninh province

On hearing the news, the Vietnamese Embassy in Phnom Penh contacted the Cambodian authorities to find out the facts. 

It asked Cambodian authorities to get involved in rescuing the remaining Vietnamese citizens in the casino, help verify people’s identities and repatriate them, according to local media.

Later the same day the Cambodian Police asked the casino to release 11 more Vietnamese nationals. Media reports said the police were still interviewing the group.

This is the second mass breakout of Vietnamese from a casino in Cambodia in the space of a month.

On August 18, more than 40 Vietnamese broke out of a Chinese-managed casino in Cambodia’s Kandal province and swam across the Binh Di River to An Giang province in Vietnam.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had helped bring about 600 Vietnamese citizens back home since the beginning of the year.

It said they went to work in Cambodia with the promise of “light work, high salary” but were later exploited, abused, beaten and asked to call their relatives to receive ransom money so that they could return home.