\Some businesses in Singapore are preparing for a manpower shortage when their Malaysian staff go on leave to vote in the upcoming election.
The firms told Channel NewsAsia that they are changing work schedules and hiring temporary staff to tide them through this period.
About 400,000 Malaysians are in Singapore, according to the World Bank.
One fishball factory says it will stop production of frozen fishballs from May 1.
Instead, it is diverting its available staff to the fresh fishball production line.
The factory's cost of production has also been affected, as it will require its non-Malaysian staff to work over the weekend and will have to pay them double.
As for spa giant CitiSpa, it is anticipating between 10 and 15 per cent shortage of staff during the election period.
CitiSpa says about half of its staff are Malaysians.
CitiSpa CEO, Gerald Teo, said: "We have made arrangements for other workers to cover their duties. These are the locals and workers from other nationalities. In addition, we will have to do some internal transfer among the workers, to ensure there are enough workers at the various branches."
Mr Teo said CitiSpa is also rescheduling the appointments of some of its customers.
But one restaurant, Dragon Phoenix in Clarke Quay, says it is well prepared to cope with the staff shortage, by hiring part-timers.-Channel News Asia (April 23, 2013)
The Department of National Defense is in “the final stages” of crafting the Terms of Reference for the acquisition of a squadron of F/A 50 fighter jets from South Korea, the department said Monday.
The Terms of Reference includes technical specifications, payment schemes, and requirements for delivery. “After that, the contract follows, the negotiations for the contract [starts],” said Department spokesman Peter Paul Galvez.
In a separate interview, DND undersecretary for finance, munitions, installations and materiel Fernando Manalo said said that the Department hopes to settle any issues about the acquisition by May.
“There are issues that are being resolved, there are issues that are being clarified,” he said.
In January, the DND announced that the Government Procurement Policy Board has given the nod for it to begin negotiations with South Korea for the acquisition of 12 brand new F-50 jets for about P18 billion.
The Philippine Air Force said that it was “very excited” with the impending acquisition as part of the military’s modernization program, saying it would bring the Philippine closer to having a “credible external defense.”
The PAF had been using its S-211 trainer planes as fighters after it decommissioned its F-5s in 2005.-GMA News (April 23, 2013)
The European Union has lifted the last of its trade, economic and individual sanctions against Burma in response to its political reform programme.
The sanctions were temporarily lifted last year, and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi agreed Burma's progress merited the move being made permanent.
An EU foreign ministers' meeting said an arms embargo would stay in place.
It warned Burma needed to address "significant challenges", particular regarding its minority Muslims.
Human rights groups say the lifting of sanctions reduces the leverage the EU has on Burma, with Human Rights Watch's Asia head Phil Robertson describing the move as "premature and regrettable".
It came shortly after the BBC obtained police video showing officers standing by while Buddhist rioters attacked minority Muslims in the Burmese town of Meiktila. It was filmed last month, when at least 43 people were killed in Meiktila.
'It is time'
An EU statement, approved without a vote and issued at a foreign ministers' meeting in Luxembourg, said: "In response to the changes that have taken place and in the expectation that they will continue, the Council (of ministers) has decided to lift all sanctions with the exception of the embargo on arms."
The decision came in response to political reforms implemented by President Thein Sein, who came to power after elections in November 2010. His administration has freed many political prisoners and relaxed censorship.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Burma's political progress was substantial enough and serious enough for the temporary lifting of sanctions to be made permanent.
But he told the BBC: "The work of the EU in Burma is not remotely finished. It is important to continue working on improving human rights, on improving the humanitarian situation, in helping the Burmese to address issues of ethnic violence, particularly attacks on Muslim communities."
Aung San Suu Kyi, who for years supported the sanctions against the country's military rulers, backed the EU's decision, telling the BBC the democracy movement could not depend on sanctions forever.
"It is time we let these sanctions go," she said. "I don't want to rely on external factors forever to bring about national reconciliation which is the key to progress in our country."
Ms Suu Kyi, who was under house arrest for many years, leads a pro-democracy opposition which has a small presence in parliament.
Mass graves?
Violence between Buddhists and Muslims erupted in another part of Burma, Rakhine state, last year following the rape and murder of a young Buddhist woman in May.
Clashes in June and October resulted in the deaths of about 200 people. Thousands of people, mainly members of the stateless Rohingya Muslim minority, fled their homes and remain displaced.
On Monday, the New York-based organisation Human Rights Watch (HRW) presented a report containing what it said was clear evidence of government complicity in ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity against Muslims in Rakhine state.
It said security forces had either stood aside or joined in when mobs attacked Muslim communities in nine townships, razing villages and killing residents.
It said HRW had discovered four mass grave sites in Rakhine state, which it said security forces had used to destroy evidence of the crimes.
However, the allegations were rejected by Win Myaing, a government spokesman for Rakhine state, AP news agency reported.
HRW investigators didn't "understand the situation on the ground," he said, adding that the government had no prior knowledge of the impending attacks, and had deployed forces to quell the unrest.-British Broadcasting Company (April 23, 2013)
Taiwan's coastguards said Monday that Taipei had staged a live-fire drill within a hotly-contested island chain in the South China Sea, in a move that risks stoking regional tensions.
More than 2,000 rounds of ammunition were fired by garrison forces on Taiwan-administered Taiping, the largest of the Spratly Islands, Wang Chin-wang, chief of the Coast Guard Administration, told parliament.
It was Taipei's first live-fire drill in the Spratlys - claimed in whole or part by Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei - since long-range mortars and artillery were shifted to Taiping Island in August last year.
The exercise took place in the middle of the April, Wang said.
Taiwanese legislator Lin Yu-fang, who sits on the bench of parliament's defence and diplomacy committee, asked Wang to disregard possible reaction from other claimants.
"Taiping Island is part of our territory. You just did what you should do. You've done a good job," Lin said.
Wang said the live rounds included 40 millimetre artillery shells and 120 millimetre mortars, which were transported to the island last year causing Vietnam to express its anger over the new, longer-range weapons.
All claimants to the Spratlys, apart from Brunei, have troops based on the archipelago of more than 100 islets, reefs and atolls, which cover a vast area but have a total land mass of less than five square kilometers.
The potentially resource-rich sea, home to important trade routes, is a potential military flashpoint and there have been a string of diplomatic rows between countries with overlapping territorial claims in recent years.
The Philippines and Vietnam have complained that China is becoming increasingly aggressive in its actions in the area - such as harassing fishermen - and also through bullying diplomatic tactics.-Interaksyon (April 23, 2013)
China has established a national island surveillance and monitoring system and completed airborne remote-sensing surveillance of what it claims to be its 4,406 islands, according to the Ministry of Land and Resources (MLR).
The national system is mainly built on aerial surveillance, with satellites, unmanned planes, and cruisers as auxiliary instruments, the MLR said in its annual land resources report issued Saturday.
Since a national plan on island protection and exploration came into effect in last April, south China's Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong provinces, and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region have passed their own provincial-level scheme, with Liaoning, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, and Hainan completing their draft plan, the ministry said.
Last year, China completed an island name survey, including on-site investigation on part of the atolls in the three island groups known as Sansha in the South China Sea which covers the disputed island groups of Spratlys, Paracels, and Macclesfield. The Philippines and Vietnam also claim sovereignty over these islands.
The country also released the standard names and geographical coordinates of the Diaoyu Island and its affiliated islands in the East China Sea, as well as other geographical entities in their surrounding waters last year, according to the MLR report. China Diaoyu is also being claimed by Japan.-Interaksyon (April 21, 2013)
Singapore warmly welcomes Japan's participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Sunday.
Singapore is confident that Japan will be a valuable partner in the development of a high quality agreement to spur economic growth across the Asia-Pacific region, it added.
Singapore has consistently and strongly expressed support for Japan's early participation in the TPP.
MFA said Japan has long played a crucial role in the development of the Asia Pacific and thus maintaining its stability.
As the world's third largest economy, Japan's inclusion has further raised the strategic and economic significance of the TPP and reinforced the agreement's strategic vision of advancing regional economic integration and promoting regional development and stability.
MFA added that Japan's membership in the TPP will also encourage Japan's domestic growth and help its overall economic revitalisation.
Singapore also looks forward to Japan participating as soon as possible and contributing to the negotiations.
With Japan's inclusion, the TPP's membership has expanded to 12 countries representing nearly 40 per cent of the global economy and one-third of world trade.
The TPP is envisioned as an inclusive agreement that will lead to an eventual Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific.
MFA said that Singapore welcomes all countries in the region that will contribute to the TPP's objective of advancing regional economic integration.-Channel News Asia (April 21, 2013)
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will head to Burma Tuesday for his first state visit there since 2006. The trip comes as rising ethnic and religious violence in Burma tests the special relationship that has long bound the two southeast Asian nations.
Indonesia and Burma have a lot in common. Both were once military dictatorships that are now headed by former generals. Both have made the painful transition to democracy and have seen conflicts mar the way.
Scholars and government advisers say those similarities have created an understanding that change takes time, and that has kept Indonesia from pressuring Burma to speed up the pace of reform.
"It’s quite obvious when countries start reforming the political system like Indonesia in the past, we experienced a lot of difficulties in the early stages, a lot of communal conflicts, violence and other behavior which is not conducive for democracy. What happens in Myanmar at this stage is only part of the new realities under democracy," said Teuku Faizasyah, President Yudhoyono’s aide for international affairs.
In the years after mass protests in 1998 brought down former autocratic president Suharto, Indonesia worked to ease its military out of government. At the same time Indonesia used its close ties with Burma to nudge that country’s military regime toward more openness.
Burma watchers say progress has been notable. Since taking over the government two years ago, Burma’s president, Thein Sein, has loosened controls over the media, released political prisoners and helped negotiate cease-fire agreements with rebel groups.
But ethnic and sectarian clashes have escalated in Buddhist-majority Burma, threatening those celebrated reforms.
Human rights groups and the United Nations have pressured the government to do more to lessen sectarian tensions since last June, when rioting broke out between Buddhist and Muslims in western Rakhine state. Instead, the violence has spread, forcing more than 100,000 people from their homes.
Many of those fleeing the violence have gone abroad and some have sought refuge in Indonesia. For now, Jakarta is favoring engaging with the Burmese government instead of criticizing it.
Moe Thuzar, a researcher on Myanmar at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, says Indonesia’s approach is similar to the non-intervention strategy used in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN.
"Indonesia, as a founding member of ASEAN, is a big proponent of quiet diplomacy, and it’s how things have worked when it comes to advising fellow member countries and to bring about commitments toward change without splashing it in the headlines."
That approach has earned Indonesia Burma’s trust. In August last year former vice president Jusuf Kalla visited Rakhine state. Then, in January, foreign minister Marty Natalagawa gained rare access to one of the areas hit hardest by last year’s anti-Muslim violence.
While Jakarta has expressed concerns about the violence spreading through Burma, however, the president’s aide Teuku Faizasyah says it’s up to the Burmese people to solve the problem.
"Certainly we’ve given our support on how to best handle the problems. We can help in providing training and other ways of bringing little understanding among ethnic groups. But in the end it must be between Myanmarese themselves," Faizasyah said.
Indonesia experienced similar internal violence following its transition to democracy and is well aware of the complexities of dealing with reform. Some analysts say that if Indonesia, which is majority Muslim, is seen to be siding with the Rohingya, it risks dividing ASEAN and could jeopardize its leading role in the regional grouping.
Indonesian companies are also looking to Burma for investment opportunities. If Jakarta starts to exert pressure, it could lose some of its leverage.
Murray Hiebert, a senior fellow on Southeast Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC, says it is important that Indonesia share experiences, provide support and moral encouragement rather than impose pressure.
"The leadership in Myanmar these days is trying to do reforms, they’re really engaged on issues like human rights, how to address communal violence. I think for a country like Indonesia to go in and try to be too pressure-some would just raise hackles," Hiebert said.
Some parliamentarians in Indonesia have talked with their counterparts in Burma about security reform and the potential for discussions with people involved in drafting the Helsinki agreement that brought an end to decades of fighting in Indonesia’s Aceh.
Burma’s legislature has undergone some of the greatest reform in the country - though much of the government is still filled with military figures. Lawmakers in Indonesia say if the parliament is more empowered, it can take a greater role in shaping Burma’s future.-Voice of America (April 20, 2013)
Parts of Singapore were hazy on Friday, even though the latest PSI reading, at 4pm, was in the "good" range of between 28 and 43.
Since 1pm, the sky has been hazy and members of the public have given feedback on a burning smell across many parts of Singapore.
"The haziness and burning smell are from the fires in Sumatra, brought over by prevailing winds blowing from the southwest or west," said the National Environment Agency (NEA).
Since 17 April, satellite images have shown smoke plumes originating from hotspots in Riau province being blown towards Singapore by the prevailing winds, it added.
The NEA said the winds are forecast to occasionally blow from the southwest or west for the next few days. During this period, hazy conditions are expected occasionally.-Channel News Asia (April 20, 2013)
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak will not be attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Brunei next week, diplomatic sources said yesterday.
Najib dissolved parliament on April 3, paving the way for fresh elections next month.
The 59-year-old Najib, who took office in 2009, is facing voters for the first time as leader of the 13-party coalition.
A ranking official of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Najib will not attend the summit.
“We understand he is not attending,” the official told The STAR.
The DFA said on Wednesday that President Aquino and Prime Minister Najib have no scheduled bilateral meeting during the summit in Brunei on April 24 to 25 and that the Sabah claim would not be discussed by the two leaders.
The sultanate of Sulu said yesterday that the Philippines and Malaysia will “covertly” discuss the Sabah claim of its heirs during the ASEAN summit.
Abraham Idjirani, spokesman of the heirs of the sultanate, said the Sabah standoff has now become a regional issue that the Philippines and Malaysia and the rest of the ASEAN members could not afford to ignore.
Idjirani said yesterday that despite the pronouncement of the DFA that the Sabah claim will not be raised by the Philippines during the ASEAN summit, the Sultanate of Sulu believes that Philippine and Malaysian officials would discuss the issue “covertly.”
“It will be discussed. But it will be done covertly. The Philippines and Malaysia do not want to alarm the other member countries about the seriousness of the issue,” said Idjirani.
The crisis started when supporters of the heirs of the Sultan of Sulu forced a standoff with Malaysian security forces in Lahad Datu, Sabah last February.
Malaysian forces later launched air strikes and ground assault that allegedly killed several Filipino gunmen and Malaysian soldiers.
Many Filipinos residing in the affected areas in Sabah have evacuated and returned to Tawi-Tawi and other parts of Mindanao.
Idjirani said Indonesia would be one of the ASEAN member countries that would be alarmed if the standoff in Sabah is not resolved.
“Sabah is a neighboring territory of Kalimantan. (Indonesia) does not want to be alarmed by the situation. Malaysia and Indonesia are neighbors. Indonesia may appeal to Malaysia or the Philippines to take things slow,” Idjirani added.
DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said President Aquino and Razak have no scheduled bilateral meeting during the summit in Brunei on April 24 to 25.-ABS-CBN News (April 20, 2013)
The World Bank identified the Philippines as a world leader in gender equality, particularly in the fields of legislation, management and government.
In its World Development Indicators report released on Thursday, the international organization cited latest data showing that 55 percent of Filipino lawmakers, senior officials and managers are female.
The number, taken from 2007 to 2011 statistics, is the highest in the World Bank report with data from 88 countries.
The Philippines is among the two only countries in the world with more women than men in the said professions, using the International Labour Organization's standard classification of occupations.
Although the report said that gender inequality is most prevalent in developing countries, the Philippines, a lower middle income nation, is one exception.
"The share of women in high-skilled occupations ... indicates women's status and role in the labor force and society at large," the report explained.
Following the Philippines' lead is The Bahamas, a chain of island in the Caribbean, with 52 percent of leaders who are female.
Barbados, another island country in the Caribbean, is in relatively far third with 47 percent.
Ranking fourth is Latvia with women landing in 45 percent of top occupations, while the Cayman Islands are fifth with 44 percent.
The United States, the largest economy in the world, is tied with Latin American country Puerto Rico with 43 percent.
Indonesia, one of the Philippines' peer in Southeast Asis for one, only records 22 percent of high government and business positions given to women.
The world's most gender unequal nations in the world include those that have a dominant Muslim population, the lowest being Pakistan with women occupying only 3 percent of seats in legislation, governance and management.
Also at the bottom of the scale are Azerbaijan (7 percent), Lebanon (8 percent) and Saudi Arabia (8 percent).
"These patterns of inequality begin at an early age, with boys routinely receiving a larger share of education and health spending than girls, for example," World Bank said in the report.
The study, World Bank said, is a compilation of "relevant, high-quality and internationally comparable statistics about global development."
Other indicators cited in the report under people development are prevalence of malnutrition, HIV, unemployment and underemployment, as well as maternal mortality, adolescent fertility and under-five mortality.-The Philippine Star (April 20, 2013)
Philippine and Thai trade officials will discuss next month how Bangkok can fully comply with the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling on tobacco favoring Manila, a Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) official told InterAksyon.com on Friday.
“Technical discussions have been set in Bangkok early next month,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for international economic relations Laura Q. Del Rosario said in a text message.
Del Rosario said the Philippine delegation will include officials at the assistant secretary-level from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
Discussions will “focus on the technical points of the case,” Del Rosario said.
The Philippines’ permanent mission to the WTO had asked its Thai counterpart to schedule meetings with concerned Thai agencies that have yet to comply with the WTO ruling.
In 2011, Thailand lost the tobacco case lodged by the Philippines before the WTO in behalf of the Philippine unit of cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris. Manila had alleged that Bangkok slapped discriminatory taxes on cigarettes imported from the Philippines.
To comply with the WTO decision, Thailand last year adopted a royal decree abolishing the value-added tax (VAT) exemption enjoyed by resellers of locally made cigarettes, making them at par with imports, which were not VAT-exempt.
But Thailand has yet to fully comply with the WTO ruling even as the reasonable period of time to comply lapsed last year. For one, the Thai Customs’ Board of Appeals (BOA) ruling issued last November concerning certain customs valuation entries of imported tobacco from 2002 to 2003 was “inconsistent” with WTO rules, the Philippine WTO mission had said.
The Philippine-Thai tobacco row is on the agenda of the WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) meeting on April 24.-Interaksyon (April 20, 2013)
The Philippine economy is expected to expand by 6.2 percent this year on the back of strong private consumption, according to a report launched by the United Nation's regional development arm today.
The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific' s (UNESCAP) latest forecast on Philippine growth is higher than the 5 percent it projected in its year-end update for 2012.
"Speedy growth could materialize if progress on the public- private partnership gains more momentum, helped by the upgrade of the country's rating to investment grade status in March," the UNESCAP's Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2013 report said.
The UN report, however, warned that poor demand for Philippine products in the country's major trading partners could slow economic expansion this year.
UNESCAP's projected economic growth for the Philippines this year is within the government's full-year growth target of 6 to 7 percent.-The Philippine Star (April 18, 2013 7:00PM)
Prime Minister Hun Sen urges Thailand to maintain peace with Cambodia as both nations are currently facing International Court of Justice (ICJ) hearings in Hague over the interpretation of the 1962 ruling on the Preah Vihear temple.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of a new building for the Kampot City hall on Thursday, Hun Sen said keeping the peace is very important in maintaining harmony for both inside and outside Cambodia especially with a neighbouring country like Thailand.
"We have to solve any problems peacefully and we don't want small issues turning into conflicts between both countries," Hun Sen said. "And must peacefully avoid negative affects on all factors of our two nations."
He added, he was pleased with the present situation between Cambodia and Thailand, especially during the Cambodian New Year when both nationalities were able to go back and forth across each others borders.-The Nation (April 19, 2013)
A US warship designed to fight in coastal areas arrived Thursday in Singapore for its Southeast Asian deployment, underlining President Barack Obama's new strategic focus on Asia.
The deployment of the USS Freedom comes at a time of heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula and as China publicly flexes its naval muscle in the South China Sea, where it has competing territorial claims with some Southeast Asian states.
US Navy officials said the Freedom, a new class of vessel called the littoral combat ship (LCS), sailed into Changi Naval Base at around 11:00 am (0300 GMT) in Singapore, a long-standing US ally that assists in logistics and exercises for forces in Southeast Asia.
The ship, the US Navy's first LCS which is designed to fight close to the shore, will be deployed for the next eight months in the region, where it will participate in naval exercises and visit other ports.
Regional security expert Ian Storey said the Freedom's deployment signals Washington's commitment to ensuring freedom of navigation in the region, which hosts some of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
"The forward deployment of these ships is part the US pivot, rebalancing away from Iraq and Afghanistan and towards Asia," said Storey, a senior fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore.
"It demonstrates to US allies and friends that it is committed to maintaining a strong presence in the region to ensure stability. In naval terms, it also underpins the US' commitment to ensuring freedom of navigation," he told AFP.
US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta announced last year that Washington will shift the bulk of its naval fleet to the Pacific by 2020 as part of a new strategic focus on Asia, where China is an emerging power.
China is embroiled in a maritime dispute with four Southeast Asian countries -- Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam -- over territorial claims in the South China Sea.
Beijing claims nearly the entire sea, including areas much nearer to the other claimants. Manila and Hanoi have been the most vocal in criticising China over alleged heavy-handedness in enforcing its claims.
While not a claimant, Washington has said it has an interest in the area to ensure freedom of navigation.
"We plan on spending most of our time here in Southeast Asia. This will be Freedom's neighbourhood for the next eight months," said US Navy Commander Timothy Wilke, the ship's commanding officer.
"We are eager to get out and about, work with other regional navies and share best practices during exercises, port visits and maritime security operations."
Singapore has agreed to the rotational deployment of up to four LCS. This means the vessels will not be permanently based in the country and crews will live aboard during ship visits.
Euan Graham, a maritime security expert at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said Beijing "is obviously cautious about any enhancement of the US military presence around the South China Sea".
But he added that China also understands that Freedom's presence is "not a major step-change in the naval balance in the region".
China however would be keen to learn about the performance of the ship, a versatile vessel that can be used for surface warfare as well as to hunt for mines and submarines and is suitable to maritime regions like Southeast Asia, Graham said.
He said the timing of Freedom's deployment also counters perceptions that US budget cuts would "undermine the sustainability of the US forward presence" in Asia.
USS Freedom is the first of up to four American warships Singapore will host. US Ambassador to Singapore David Adelman said the second is expected within 20 months.
While analysts point to USS Freedom's tour of duty in Southeast Asia as proof of more American muscle in a region prone to territorial conflicts, Adelman called it a "new chapter" in an "increasingly important part of the world".
It's also another chapter capturing close ties between the US and Singapore.
"Here in Singapore, the United States continues to have the assets to do what we've always done, which is partner with our friends and important allies here. And I think the USS Freedom is 'Exhibit A' to our continuing commitment to security here in Southeast Asia," said Adelman.-Channel News Asia (April 19, 2013)
The European Union plans to announce a sea-change Monday in ties with Myanmar, lifting the last of its trade, economic and individual sanctions as it embarks on a new relationship with the Southeast Asian state, diplomatic sources told AFP.
A year after first suspending sanctions against Myanmar in reward for its historic reforms, EU foreign ministers meeting in Luxembourg will announce a definitive end to restrictive measures but leave in place an arms embargo, the sources said.
"There will be a very positive message to Myanmar, hope for a new relationship" on Monday, said a diplomat speaking on condition of anonymity.
On April 23 last year, the ministers agreed to a one-year suspension of measures targeting almost 500 individuals and more than 800 firms to bolster a reform process which the same month saw opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's election to parliament.
Among the sanctions, hundreds of people were targeted by a travel ban and asset freeze, while on the economic front the EU had barred investments and banned imports of the country's lucrative timber, metals and gems.
During a visit to Brussels last month, the first by a Myanmar head of state, President Thein Sein urged the EU to lift sanctions, saying "we are one of the poorest countries in the world."
He received pledges of EU economic assistance coupled with calls to protect his country's ethnic minorities.
Since the former premier took over the presidency in March 2011, thousands of political prisoners have been released and elections held.
EU development aid since has more than doubled to around 150 million euros for 2012-2013, with Brussels pledging to explore the feasibility of a bilateral investment agreement.
The EU has also offered to reinstate a preferential tariffs deal with Yangon.-Channel News Asia (April 19, 2013)
In Malaysia, the 13th general election has been called by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak after a year-long speculation.
More than 13 million Malaysians will go to the polls on May 5. This is the first time that the ruling party has gone through the full five-year term before dissolving parliament.
Critics claim that the ruling coalition has lacked confidence to face the electorate on several contentious issues. It faces growing anger due to rising racial and religious tensions, allegations of corruption involving its leaders directly or indirectly, the rising cost of living, police brutality, continued detention without trial and the awarding of scholarships to students based on racial quota and not merit.
Najib, who became prime minister after his predecessor quit four years ago, has never led the party in a general election and political pundits argue that this has put him in a difficult position to force through any potential policy changes.
The election could be the closest in history. Najib needs to reverse the huge gains the Anwar Ibrahim-led opposition alliance Pakatan Rakyat (PR) made in 2008, when the ruling National Front lost five of 13 states and the two-thirds majority which it had enjoyed since Independence about 57 years ago.
The issues of the campaign include race, vote buying, electoral fraud, Hudud law and corruption.
The race card
A key factor in Malaysian elections is the question of race.
Most, if not all, parties are race-based and candidates are chosen with their ethnicity as the main consideration. Both sides of the divide are using the race card subtly or otherwise in their campaigns.
Despite several measures and concessions made to please the Chinese electorate, the community appears to be steadfast in its anti-establishment stand.
The Chinese-majority state of Penang which fell to the opposition for the first time is a symbol of non-Malay support for any party.
Several Malay NGOs are using the racial sentiment by calling for Malays to unite in order to preserve their supremacy which is enshrined in the Malaysian constitution.
They have openly demonstrated against policies that they claim has eroded their legislated special rights, especially in Penang where the 42-year-old New Economic Policy (NEP) favouring them, has been dismantled.
The government argues that the private sector is almost absolutely controlled by the Chinese and has very little opportunities for the Malays.
The private sector say this claim is unfair, as it does not receive preferential treatment from the government and they are all self-made with meritocracy being the most important consideration. Meanwhile, the government critics say, state funds are mainly from the revenue of the taxpayers which should be allocated for all.
The two hottest election battlegrounds are Penang and another opposition-ruled state Selangor in central Malaysia. The states attract the highest number of investments, providing strong revenue to the federal government. Najib has declared that these two states must be won at any cost while the opposition is fighting hard to keep them in its stable.
Vote buying?
To win back diminishing popular support, the current administration started giving out cash handouts from last year to almost every segment of the society, saying that this was to alleviate the hardship brought about by the rising cost of living.
Civil servants, who traditionally support the ruling party, were given higher salaries and allowances. The opposition claims this is tantamount to vote buying, but the people are not complaining.
To counter this, the opposition alliance announced that it will bring down fuel prices and cut car prices drastically. And as another major draw, it announced that it will provide free education right up to tertiary level if it comes to power.
Electoral fraud
Claims of electoral fraud and allegations of the election commission as the ruling party’s tool were brought to the fore by the clean election movement called Bersih meaning clean.
Three major demonstrations were held over the last two years by the group. It attracted tens of thousands of protestors which turned violent when the police used brutal methods to quell them.
The government made some concessions finally but Bersih claims they are not enough with evidences of tainted electoral roll surfacing often.
Another major factor in the election is the more than three million first time voters.
While they are said to be generally leaning towards the opposition, the National Front has put in a lot of resources to win their hearts by using social media, an important campaign tool. The mainstream media are all owned by the government or linked to it.
Islamic law
Another contentious issue is the move by the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) to try and usher in a future where the Islamic way of life becomes a part of every day life in Malaysia. PAS says they are willing to discuss the issue, but the implementation of the Hudud law is a matter beyond question and not up for negotiation or debate of any kind.
Despite disagreement with its partners over this, it has started pushing for the implementation of hudud in the state of Kelantan which it had been ruling for the last 20 years. Several Islamic practices are already in place there.
It says hudud would address a multitude of issues affecting Muslims. However, the non-Muslims fear that there will be long-term direct and indirect effect on them although on the surface it is meant only for the Muslims.
The opposition alliance is now in a bit of a fix over this - supporting the plan will mean losing non-Muslim votes while opposing it will see a backlash from Muslim voters. Depending on how the opposition alliance handles this issue, it will affect not only the thinking of Muslim voters but also the stand of the fence-sitters and new voters.
Corruption
Corruption has never played a big role in Malaysians' voting decision in the past. However, things have changed this time around with the rapid advent of news portals and the social media.
The opposition has capitalised on this and used it to expose many corrupt practices involving government ministers and their family members. Although Najib announced strong measures to eradicate corruption, it does not seem to be winning the hearts and minds of the people, as those implicated continue to hold office.
Others who have been charged have either won their cases or have their appeals pending.-Aljazeera (April 19, 2013)
Asia’s largest private cord blood storage facility was opened Thursday in Singapore by Cordlife, which aims to encourage parents to preserve samples of their children’s stem cells.
According to Mr Jeremy Yee, executive director and Chief Executive Officer of Cordlife, only around 25 per cent of children born in Singapore have their cord blood stem cells put into storage by their parents.
Umbilical cord blood at birth is rich in stem cells that can be stored and later used for treatment if the child contracts diseases like leukemia, cerebral palsy, and other blood and immunodeficiency disorders.
The Yishun facility, Cordlife’s third in Singapore, boasts a storage capacity of 650,000 units and state-of-the-art technology, the company said.
Mr Ted Tan, deputy chief executive of SPRING Singapore, who attended the opening ceremony, paid tribute to Cordlife, saying the company’s success is “an excellent showcase of Singapore’s high standing in the healthcare services arena, especially in the Asian region.”
“To continue to stay ahead of competition, apart from sustaining our clinical expertise, our healthcare companies must continue to build strong business capabilities, pursue innovation and invest in their people to provide quality care and ensure business growth,” he added.
Cordlife currently has collaborations with local private hospitals and clinics like Thomson Medical and Raffles Hospital to increase public awareness of cord blood banking services in Singapore.
At Cordlife, it costs just shy of S$7,000 to have your baby's cord blood stored for 21 years.
Stem Cord, the only other private cord bank in Singapore, charges an enrolment fee of S$1,580 and S$275 a year.-Channel News Asia (April 19, 2013)
Indonesia has failed to uphold its 2005 peace agreement commitments with Aceh province, a new report says.
The region could see renewed violence if these issues are not addressed, the Amnesty International report warns.
It says victims are still waiting for justice due to the government's failure to establish a truth commission.
Rights groups say at least 15,000 were killed in the 30 years of fighting between the Indonesia military and the Free Aceh Movement.
The war ended in 2005 after the two sides signed a peace deal giving Aceh more autonomy.
Both sides are accused of human rights abuses.
Victims are still waiting for justice, truth and reparation almost eight years after the conflict, the report says.
"Family members still do not know what has happened to disappeared loved ones and are struggling to get by, while those responsible walk free," Isabelle Arradon, Amnesty International's deputy Asia Pacific director, said.
"The situation is breeding resentment that could sow the seeds of a future return to violence," she added.
One Aceh resident, Murtala, told the BBC Indonesian service his father had been arrested by mistake.
"The following year, in 1999, my brother was killed, and then another brother. We don't know where their graves are," he said.
"My brothers' children are also asking where their fathers' graves are. This is our burden, our sadness."
There has been no response to the report from the Indonesian government so far.
A presidential spokesman told the BBC that he had not read the report yet and so could not comment.
Tensions between Jakarta and Aceh have been running high recently over the decision by Aceh's parliament to use the flag of the now defunct separatist Free Aceh Movement as its official symbol, the BBC's Karishma Vaswani in Jakarta reports.-British Broadcasting Corporation (April 18, 2013)
IMF chief Christine Lagarde has been summoned by a French court to answer questions over alleged abuse of office during her time as France's finance minister, her lawyer has said.
Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has met Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during her first visit to Japan in 27 years.
Mr Abe said he supported Burma's reforms, pledging to help Burma "in building its future".
Aung San Suu Kyi told reporters about the need to stop communal violence in Burma through the "rule of law".
She was last in Japan in 1986, when she worked as a researcher in Kyoto University.
Her week-long visit, which analysts say has highlighted Japan's interest in investing in Burma, ends on Friday.
When asked about the recent communal violence in Burma, Ms Suu Kyi said she opposed violence "committed by anybody against anybody".
"We must learn to accommodate those with different views, but if we want our people to sort out differences we must give them security," she added.
Last month more than 40 people died in clashes between Buddhists and Muslims in the central Burmese town of Meiktila.
Activists have criticised Ms Suu Kyi for not speaking out more forcefully against the violence.
They say that Ms Suu Kyi, who was detained for most of the last two decades because of her efforts to bring democracy to military-ruled Burma, has the moral authority to speak up for Burma's minorities.
Meanwhile, reports from Brussels say the European Union is preparing to lift most sanctions against Burma on Monday - except those on arms sales - in recognition of Burma's reform process.-British Broadcasting Corporation (April 18, 2013)
The Philippines and U.S. military are considering the development of a force capable of handling the Philippines' strategic interest in the South China Sea, a high-ranking U.S. military official said Wednesday.
The statement comes amid rising tension between China and other neighboring countries over some disputed areas in the South China Sea.
During the closing of the two countries' military exercises dubbed Balikatan (Shoulder-to-Shoulder) 2013, Lt. Gen. Terry Robling, commander of the U.S. Marine Corps Forces in the Pacific, said that while the territorial disputes in the Asia-Pacific region will have to be worked on through diplomatic channels, "having a strong defense" is also one tool that can be used, although, he hopes, as a last resort.
"One of the things that I talked to (Philippine military chief) Gen. (Emmanuel) Bautista about was a roadmap for us training with the armed forces of the Philippines," Robling told reporters.
He said they hoped to get the forces to the point of a "national maneuver force" that is best designed for territorial defense.
"I think, at some point, that will happen, but probably, not in the next exercise," he added.
The Philippines remains locked in a territorial row with China over parts of the Spratly group of islands and the Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea. Tensions flared up in 2011, with the Philippines bringing the issue before the United Nations for arbitration.
The dispute has prompted the Philippine military to shift its strategic focus to territorial defense from internal security threats, which had concentrated on the suppression of the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group and communist rebels.
Last year, two missions under the umbrella of Balikatan 2012 were conducted in waters off Palawan province in the central Philippines which is close to the South China Sea, although officials of both countries stated those were not directed at China.
Maj. Gen. Virgilio Domingo, the Balikatan 2013 exercise director from the Philippine side, said officials for Balikatan 2014 will have to discuss whether similar drills will be held again in Palawan.
China for the first time participated Monday in a multinational maritime disaster response tabletop discussion under Balikatan 2013. Beijing's representative joined other delegates from Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Thailand, South Korea and Vietnam.
Hailing it as an accomplishment by itself, China's participation was also regarded by Robling as "very significant" not only in showing the transparency of Balikatan, but also toward the objective of making China a "better partner in the future" in the aspect of humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
"Humanitarian affairs and disaster relief operations -- there is no one country that has domain over that. We need every country in the region to be able to hold together and help countries in need," Robling said.
In his formal remarks at Wednesday's closing ceremony, Robling said Balikatan 2013, which opened April 5, not only strengthened the Philippines and U.S. forces' combined ability to defend each other, but it also "improved the multinational military and civilian disaster response coordination in Southeast Asia and throughout the region."
"We continue to share our long-standing relationship that has contributed to the regional security and stability, one deeply rooted in the Balikatan spirit of cooperation," he said.
Even with the fresh threats from North Korea, Balikatan proved to be an opportunity for the Philippines and the United States to ensure their "operational readiness" against "any emergency that both our countries may face," Domingo added.
"For whatever assistance the United States may require, or we may require from them, I guess, this Balikatan exercise is a test of how we can work together, shoulder to shoulder," he said.
Officials of both countries, meanwhile, expressed interest in eventually expanding Balikatan in the future to include other countries such as Australia and Japan.
Domingo said Australia's participation, for example, "will improve and broaden the perspective of the joint and combined exercises," noting its own unique capabilities.
Some 8,000 American and Philippine troops participated in Balikatan 2013, which also included engineering and humanitarian projects, and with the United States sending C-130s, F-18 Hornets and MV-22 Ospreys.-ABS-CBN News (April 18, 2013)
