Month: October 2022

Posted on

6.0-Magnitude Quake Jolted Off Western Indonesia, No Casualty Reported

JAKARTA, Oct 1 (NNN-ANTARA) – An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0, jolted Indonesia’s western province of North Sumatra this morning, but there were no preliminary reports of damages or casualties, authorities said.

 

The quake hit at 02:28 Jakarta time today (1928 GMT Friday), with the epicentre at 15 km north-west of the North Tapanuli district, and a depth of 10 km, said the country’s meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency.

 

The quake, followed by two tremors, with magnitudes of 5.1 and 5.0 respectively, did not have the potential to trigger a tsunami, according to the agency.

 

So far, there were no reports of damages or casualties, including in the hardest-hit areas of the North Tapanuli district, said Agus Wibisono, head of the Search and Rescue Office, for the Nias Island of the North Sumatra province.

 

“We got information from the rescuers in the North Tapanuli district that, so far there are no damages or casualties there,” he told reporters via phone.

 

The tremors were also felt in the nearby province of Aceh, according to the agency.– NNN-ANTARA

 

Source: NAM News Network

Posted on

Malaysia Reported 2,007 New COVID-19 Infections, Five More Deaths

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 (NNN-BERNAMA) – Malaysia reported 2,007 new COVID-19 infections as of midnight, bringing the national total to 4,840,879, according to the health ministry.

 

There are 12 new imported cases, with 1,995 cases being local transmissions, data released by the ministry showed.

 

Another five deaths have been reported, pushing the death toll to 36,374.

 

The ministry reported 1,407 new recoveries, lifting the total number of cured and discharged to 4,778,736.

 

There are 25,769 active cases, with 42 being held in intensive care and 19 of those in need of assisted breathing.

 

The country reported 3,315 vaccine doses administered yesterday, and 86.1 percent of the population have received at least one dose, 84.2 percent are fully vaccinated and 49.7 percent have received the first booster and 1.5 percent have received the second booster.– NNN-BERNAMA

 

Source: NAM News Network

Posted on

Separatists In Indonesia’s West Papua Killed Four

JAKARTA, Oct 1 (NNN-ANTARA) – At least 12 people, working on building a road in Indonesia’s province of West Papua, were attacked by armed separatists, with four of the workers shot dead, a spokesman of the provincial police confirmed, yesterday.

 

Adam Erwindi told local media that, the attack took place on Thursday night, and a number of personnel have been deployed immediately at the scene, to rescue other victims who were still not found.

 

The West Papua National Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement (OPM), claimed responsibility for the attack, saying, it was part of their struggle for independence from Indonesia, which they accused of conducting a genocidal campaign against indigenous communities in Papua.

 

The OPM has been seeking independence through guerrilla wars, in the past several decades, targeting soldiers, police personnel, as well as, civilians.– NNN-ANTARA

 

Source: NAM News Network

Posted on

Malaysia Aims To Add US Flights After Safety Rating Boost

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA — The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has upgraded Malaysia’s air safety rating to Category 1, allowing the country’s carriers to expand flights to the United States after a three-year hiatus, Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong said Saturday.

 

Wee said the move will bolster tourism and economic growth in Malaysia, which opened from pandemic shutdowns in April.

 

“With the return to Category 1, our airlines can now mount new flights to the U.S. and have code sharing with American carriers. There is no more barrier now,” said Wee, who was in Montreal for an ICAO assembly. “This is good news after the COVID-19 pandemic.”

 

Riad Asmat, CEO of low-cost carrier AirAsia Malaysia, said it was a “very good start.” He said AirAsia, currently the only Malaysian carrier that flies to the United States — from Kuala Lumpur to Honolulu — will seek opportunities to expand in the U.S.

 

The FAA lowered Malaysia’s rating in November 2019 to Category 2 due to non-compliance with safety standards. The FAA identified deficiencies in areas including technical expertise, record keeping and inspection procedures.

 

Under the FAA system, countries are listed either as Category 1, which meets International Civil Aviation Organization standards, or Category 2, which doesn’t meet standards.

 

Wee told an online news conference that the downgrade prompted Malaysia to restructure its Civil Aviation Authority and make various efforts to strengthen its aviation workforce, documentation processes and inspection methods to ensure effective safety oversight.

 

He said the FAA was satisfied the issues identified in 2019 had been rectified but found 29 new problems in its December assessment. Those issues were swiftly rectified in the first half this year, he said, and the FAA has restored Malaysia’s Category 1 rating.

 

Malaysia Airlines CEO Izham Ismail said the national carrier will resume flight plans with its partners, especially American Airlines, but didn’t elaborate.

 

Source: Voice of America

Posted on

Hundreds in Bangkok Protest Court Ruling Allowing Thai PM to Stay in Office

BANGKOK — Anti-government demonstrators took to the streets in Thailand’s capital Saturday following a court ruling allowing Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha to stay in office.

 

Around 500 demonstrators gathered at Bangkok’s Victory Monument to protest the decision.

 

Background ruling

 

Prayut, 68, is a former Royal Thai Army officer who led a military coup in Thailand in 2014 and has been in power since. In 2017 a new constitution was drafted by the military, limiting a prime minister’s time in the job to only eight years.

 

In August, Thai opposition political parties filed cases with Thailand’s Constitutional Court arguing that the prime minister’s time in the job should have ended this year, saying his term began with the coup takeover.

 

But after suspending Prayut to review the case, the court Friday ruled in favor of the prime minister, stating his term as the head of the government had not exceeded its limit. It ruled 6-3 that Prayut’s time in charge began August 6, 2017, a day after the new constitution took effect.

 

Victory Monument

 

In response, Thalufah, an activist group in Thailand, organized a protest beside Bangkok’s Victory Monument, a regular demonstration venue in recent years that has seen protesters and police clash violently.

 

But the mood Saturday afternoon was much lighter than demonstrations in recent years, as protesters gathered beside market stalls to sing, dance, and voice their disapproval at the court’s decision. Activists took to the stage to voice their anger at Prayut, but the atmosphere remained upbeat, as the demonstration mirrored a mini concert.

Politics, not justice

 

Chuveath Dethddidark, an activist in Thailand, reiterated the reason for the protest. “We cannot accept about what the Constitution Court do yesterday. But they allow Prayut Chan-ocha to stay on. This is politics, it is not justice. We know, everyone knows it’s not from just the court that makes this decision. We cannot allow this, four more years or anymore. I expect (more protests) but to be realistic people may express their anger [during] the elections,” he added.

 

Quotes

 

Ladoo, who declined to provide a surname, is an activist for Thalufah. He said protests against Prayut would continue until elections, which are likely to be held in 2023.

 

“The reasons we are [protesting], the decisions made yesterday that Prayut Chan-ocha can still be the prime minister of Thailand, we the people, the people of Thailand are against [this], it is against the people, the right of the people, it is all wrong the decision came this way. Today we came to express ourselves, express our freedom, express our opinion to prove we disagree with the decision made yesterday.”

 

We are planning to launch the activities before the elections to express the freedom of people,” he added.

Protest background

 

Although hundreds turned out for the demonstration Saturday in Bangkok, the numbers are a sharp decline from street protests in recent years.

 

Thousands of protesters have been calling for a change in government and reform of the country’s monarchy since 2020. But protests have regularly turned into clashes with police, who have used rubber bullets, pepper spray and water cannons to repel demonstrations with hundreds since being arrested and charged. In 2021 most demonstrations were aimed at the government’s COVID-19 policy that resulted in violent clashes in Bangkok’s Din Daeng district.

 

The activist said times have changed now and attributes the decrease in numbers to Thailand’s economic rebound.

 

“I don’t think we expect the people to come out a lot more, because we understand the condition of the people isn’t the same as it was in 2020 or 2021 because at that time the economy started falling. We understand so many people are waiting for the elections, but we want to launch the activities to connect that period of time to express we are still fighting and even if you are at home you are fighting with us,” Ladoo added.

 

Amid the pandemic in recent years, Thailand’s GDP declined by 6% in 2020 but has since grown and is on the path to recovery. As most of the world has learned to live with COVID-19, Thailand has followed suit. Tourism is one the biggest incomes in the Southeast Asian country, and as of today all remaining coronavirus restrictions were dropped for international arrivals.

Escalation concerns

 

Last week there were concerns that Thailand could see another military coup if protests were to escalate amid Friday’s decision. Thailand’s digital economy minister, Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, warned another military coup could take place, but experts and analysts in the country said it would not happen. Thailand has endured more than 10 coups in the last century.

 

More protests in Bangkok are expected Sunday.

 

Source: Voice of America

Posted on

127 Killed,180 Hurt in Indonesia Soccer Match Riot

WASHINGTON — At least 127 people died and 180 others were injured in a riot at an East Java, Indonesia, football stadium Saturday night.

 

East Java Police Chief Nico Afinta told reporters that “127 people died, including two police. Thirty-four were killed inside the stadium. Mostly trampled to death.”

 

Afinta said the Indonesia premier league game ended with Persebaya beating Arema 3-2. He said Arema had never lost a match like this, so Arema supporters – known as Aremania – entered the field to chase the Arema players and team.

 

The police chief said, “Police officers tried to persuade the Aremania to return to the stands but were ignored. We do not know why the crowd became increasingly anarchic, and finally attacked the police too. Finally, police fired tear gas at the crowd.”

 

Hundreds of supporters of each team ran to exit gates to avoid the tear gas, but some were suffocated and trampled. Hundreds of the injured were rushed to nearby hospitals, but many of them died on the way or during treatment.

 

The angry crowd also burned 13 police cars and trucks.

 

Indonesian Police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo told VOA that his team will fly from Jakarta to Malang, East Java, to help local police. “The East Java Regional Police are working with New Indonesian League (LIB) as the match operator, and also some related state holders. The National Police Team will leave for Malang this afternoon to back up the East Java Regional Police, to help identify the victims and provide medical assistance to hundreds of injured victims in several hospitals.”

 

Indonesia’s minister of youth and sports, Zainuddin Amali, told reporters in Jakarta that he “has asked Indonesian Football Association (PSSI) and New Indonesian League (LIB) to investigate this incident.

 

The coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, Mohammad Mahfud Mahmodin, commonly known as Mahfud MD, said in an Instagram post Sunday that the number of spectators exceeded the capacity of the Kanjuruhan stadium.

 

“The apparatus had asked the organizer to hold the match in the afternoon (not at night), and said the number of spectators must be adjusted to the stadium’s capacity of 38,000 people. But the proposals were not carried out… the match was still held at night and the number of tickets sold was 42,000.”

 

Source: Voice of America