Japan’s Foreign Minister Says Country to Open to Foreigners

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13 September 2018, 14:11

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks during a press conference in 2017 in Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo: Associated Press

HANOI — Japan is gearing up to accept more foreign workers as its own population is on the brink of a steep decline, Foreign Minister Taro Kono said Friday.

Kono told a World Economic Forum meeting in Hanoi that Japan gains “value added” by accepting foreigners, especially since its aging population and low birth rate mean the country is shrinking by a half-million people a year.

“We cannot sustain our society like that,” he said in response to a question during a panel discussion. “We are opening up our country. We are opening up our labor market to foreign countries. We are now trying to come up with a new work permit policy so I think everyone shall be welcome in Japan if they are willing to assimilate into Japanese society.”

Japan has traditionally resisted accepting migrant workers, at times easing such restrictions but then re-imposing them during economic downturns. Many Japanese are uncomfortable with outsiders who might not speak their language or conform to expectations for how to behave.

Still, there are millions of foreigners living in Japan, including those who work in technical training-related programs or labor-short industries such as restaurants, construction and elder care.

The country has gradually been loosening restrictions to enable families to hire domestic help. It also has short programs to bring in foreign nurses from Indonesia and other countries. But language requirements have made long-term employment in such jobs difficult.

Kono cited sports stars including tennis sensation Naomi Osaka, the daughter of a Japanese mother and a Haitian father, as an example of the benefits of welcoming outsiders. Osaka, who was born in Japan but raised in the United States, is being lauded by Japanese as the first from the country to win a Grand Slam singles tennis title.

“It’s good to have diversity. It’s good to have an open policy,” Kono said.

Thailand Wrecks Fishing Boats in Show of Reform (Video)

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JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI

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13 September 2018, 13:59

Old fishing boats are being destroyed Wednesday in Samut Sakhon province.

SAMUT SAKHON — Substandard fishing vessels were destroyed Wednesday in Samut Sakhon province before EU monitors arrive later this month to perform another assessment on the Thai fishing industry.

Nine old vessels, a fraction of the 860 awaiting demolition, were dismantled to promote government efforts to reform the industry, which has been slammed internationally for its slave-like working conditions. The ceremony was witnessed by ambassadors from 20 countries including the United States, as well as EU and ASEAN member states.

“Solving illegal fishing in Thailand has made more progress and achievements,” said Gen. Chatchai Sarikulya, the deputy prime minister overseeing the event. “The government has been able to manage the whole system of Thai fishing boats. It’s the first time in the history that the image of Thai fisheries has been turned positive to the world.”

Chatchai said almost 11,000 fishing vessels have met the standards of the Marine Department, while more than 6,300 have been permanently banned from Thai ports.

In recent years, the government has stepped up its efforts to tackle long-standing problems in the fishing industry by introducing various new regulations. It came after the EU in 2015 condemned the industry and threatened to ban Thai seafood if practices didn’t change.

Today, Steve Trent of the Environmental Justice Foundation, a London-based organization advocating for environmental security and sustainability, met deputy junta chief Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan and various ministers to discuss the progress made.

The campaign has not gone over well in Thailand’s many ports and fishing communities.

In April, Pattani fishermen went on a strike over new laws aiming to crack down labor abuses. Early last month, Thai fishermen threatened a nationwide strike over the regulations, including a push to satisfy UN labor conventions by refitting boats to be safer and more hygienic. Thai fishermen said complying would severely damage the industry.

They also demanded the government solve a labor scarcity by allowing them to hire stateless and undocumented foreign workers. They want compensation for vessels that lost their operating licenses.

Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Kongcheep Tantravanich said owners of unlicensed boats that fail to report to the authorities face jail time and steep fines as well as a 10-year ban.

Addressing the shortage in labor, he said more workers from Myanmar will be registered to the fishing industry ahead of the new EU assessment set for the coming weeks, which the government hopes will lead to the EU withdrawing its “yellow card” warning over Thai fishing practices.

In May, EU officials credited Thailand for making progress but said it had not gone far enough.

“If we don’t fix the problems and let fishing activities goes on unregulated, such as trespassing international waters, Thailand will be at risk of receiving a red card, leading to sanctions on our seafood exports to Europe worth more than 30 billion baht annually,” Kongcheep said.

Thailand is the world’s third largest seafood exporter. In 2016, it sent 220 billion baht worth overseas, 20 billion of which went to Europe.

Fishermen Threaten Strike Over New Regulations

Pattani Fisherman Protest New Labor Laws

Storm Floods Pattaya as Typhoon Bears Down (Photos)

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Asaree Thaitrakulpanich, Staff Reporter

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13 September 2018, 13:32

PATTAYA — Portions of Pattaya were flooded Thursday morning when a weakening tropical storm hit the seaside tourist city.

After about an hour of heavy rain, several roads in Pattaya City southeast of Bangkok in Chonburi province were left under up to 60 centimeters of water, impeding traffic.

Affected roadways included stretches of Sukhumvit Road along the Pattaya Tai highway and in front of the Thai Namthip Co. Pattaya 3rd Road and Khao Talo Road were also inundated.

Read: Storm, Super Typhoon to Shower Thailand Through Next Week

Meteorologists have warned that Tropical Storm Barijat will soak the nation through tomorrow, though it is the weaker of two storms to affect Thailand. Super typhoon Mangkhut is currently bearing down on Luzon in the Philippines before it passes south of Taiwan during the weekend on its way to Hong Kong.

Expected to be one of the season’s worst storms, Mangkhut will add to storm conditions across Thailand.

Prayuth Goes Full Otaku in Meeting With Japan’s AKB48

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Teeranai Charuvastra, News Chief

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13 September 2018, 13:24

Junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha waves his glow stick Thursday while six members of AKB48 perform per his request.

BANGKOK — Junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha welcomed members of Japanese girl group AKB48 to the regime’s seat of power today in the latest effort to rebrand himself as a relatable, mainstream leader.

While the prime minister has surrounded himself with celebrities and pop culture icons in the past, Prayuth took it to another level at Thursday’s meeting, teasing intimate fan knowledge and taking them on a tour of his office.

“Come on, do the cheer!” a glow stick-waving Prayuth said to the dozen Thai fans allowed in to observe. “Onigiri! Onigiri!” the fans obliged, chanting to the song he had requested, “Fortune Cookie.” Prayuth looked on with a smile.

Prayuth’s meeting with the Japanese idols came a week after he announced that a number of celebrities, including members of AKB48’s Bangkok chapter, would host government TV shows touting his regime’s policies.

That was met with anger from some pro-democracy activists who accuse the celebs of collaborating with an unelected regime. Cherprang Areekul, the Thai frontwoman of BNK48, came under particularly harsh criticism for legitimizing the junta.

Read: Junta Defends BNK48 Frontwoman’s Appearance on Gov’t Show

Prayuth, who Tuesday spoke out in the group’s defense, doubled down on the association.

“Please help take care of your sister group here in Thailand,” Prayuth told the six AKB48 singers via an interpreter.

Government officials said the Japanese group happened to be visiting Bangkok to film a show for Workpoint TV channel and asked to meet with the prime minister.

“The government didn’t pay anything. We paid all the travel expense ourselves,” Workpoint host Krit Sripoomsethsaid said, adding that “this is not about politics.”

But the optics were unmistakable for Prayuth, a longtime army man who seized power over four years ago and has sought to soften his image. The 64-year-old retired general has been behaving more like a civilian politician in the run-up to elections slated for February, after which he seems intent on remaining in power. He’s declined to make clear his intentions.

The Japanese group inspires a zealous following throughout much of Asia, if not the world. Thursday’s meeting presented a rare opportunity for the dozen fans allowed to observe.

“This the weirdest thing I ever saw in my life,” Anyamanee Mangmee, a fourth-year Thammasat student, said after the encounter.

Anyamanee was among the fans selected to attend the meeting in the same gilded reception room reserved for prominent dignitaries.

More than watch, fans were also allowed to line up for photos with the AKB48 idols at the building’s ornate staircase.

“I have never imagined this day would come,” said Kunakorn Angkoonlertbaramee, a Matthayom 6 student, who has been following the group for a year now. “In my mind, they were so out of reach.”

DTAC Must End Service to 60,000 Customers

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Chayanit Itthipongmaetee, Staff Reporter

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13 September 2018, 12:32

BANGKOK — Customers with numbers still registered to legacy services – more than 90,000 – will lose service Saturday night after the mobile operator pulls the plug.

A majority of telecom regulators Wednesday ruled against Total Access Communication PLC, aka DTAC, saying it must stop using the under-850MHz spectrum at midnight this Saturday.

Update: Endangered DTAC Customers Get 3-Month Reprieve

The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission rejected DTAC’s bid to continue its 28-year-old concession, which means it must terminate service for nearly 95,000 DTAC numbers operating in that frequency band, which is expected to affect roughly 60,000 customers.

The commission regulates use of the public airwaves by doling out concessions for slices of it through concessions, usually by auctioning it off to commercial interests.

The 850MHz spectrum was mostly used for legacy 2G services; today’s 4G operates at higher frequencies.

According to commission secretary Takorn Tantasith, the affected number of users did not affect enough users to reconsider the decision.

DTAC went to the Administrative Court last week to challenge the commission, according to spokesman spokesman Rajiv Bawa. Bawa said they are awaiting a ruling from the court.

Hydraulics Hiccup Forces Thai Airways Flight Back to BKK

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Asaree Thaitrakulpanich, Staff Reporter

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13 September 2018, 11:49

An undated file photo of a Rolls-Royce engine on a Thai Airways aircraft. Image: Airlinesweek

SAMUT PRAKAN — A Thai Airways flight to New Delhi had to return to Suvarnabhumi Airport 30 minutes after takeoff Wednesday night due to a mechanical problem.

The captain of Flight TG315 decided to double back to the airport due to a problem with the plane’s hydraulic system after taking off at 5:55pm. The plane reportedly had a problem with the control of its flight systems and landing gear.

Passengers waited in the Thai Airways lounge while repairs were made and then reboarded the Boeing 777-300 after a nearly four-hour delay to resume the journey to New Delhi.

A secretary answering the mobile phone for Nitinai Sirismatthakarn, president of Airports of Thailand, said he was unavailable to speak to a reporter.

Musk Apologizes for Snags in Model 3 Delivery Information

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Associated Press

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13 September 2018, 11:16

Elon Musk, the billionaire entreprenuer, founder of SpaceX and Tesla Motors. Photo: JD Lasica/ Wikimedia Commons

DETROIT — Tesla apparently is having trouble informing customers about deliveries of the Model 3 mass-market electric car.

In a Twitter response to a Model 3 buyer Wednesday, CEO Elon Musk wrote that customers “may experience longer response times” because of a large increase in vehicle deliveries in North America. He wrote that resolving the issue is Tesla’s top priority.

Earlier in the day, the customer tweeted to Musk that he couldn’t get a vehicle identification number from his sales adviser even though he is scheduled to pick up his Model 3 on Monday. The customer wrote that his loan for the car is up in the air. Normally vehicle identification numbers are needed for loan paperwork.

The customer wrote that his experience with Tesla has been a nightmare and the adviser isn’t responding to emails.

Musk apologized and wrote that he’s working on the issue. Tesla spokesmen did not immediately comment.

Tesla is counting on sales of the Model 3 to generate cash to make debt and expense payments and turn a sustained profit starting this quarter. The company said it has more than 400,000 orders for the car, which starts at USD$35,000 but can’t be purchased yet for less than $49,000.

Also Wednesday, another executive announced he was leaving Tesla, the fourth departure in the last two weeks.

Justin McAnear, vice president of global finance, wrote in a statement distributed by Tesla that he will leave the company Oct. 7 to take a chief financial officer role at another company that he didn’t identify.

“This was simply an opportunity I couldn’t pass up,” he wrote, adding that he loved working at Tesla and has great respect for his colleagues. McAnear wrote that a number of people will step up to fill his role

Last week David Morton, chief accounting officer, stepped down after only a month on the job at Tesla Inc. The company said in a regulatory filing that Morton was leaving due to the level of public scrutiny and the pace at the company but not over any disagreements with Tesla’s leadership or its financial reporting.

That followed a report on Friday that Gabrielle Toledano, head of human resources, would not return to Tesla after a leave of absence. And communications chief Sarah O’Brien confirmed that her last day on the job was Wednesday. She wouldn’t give a reason for her departure, which she said has been in the works for two months.

Late Friday, replacements were named for Toledano and O’Brien, and Musk also promoted Vice President Jerome Guillen to president for automotive, overseeing all auto operations including the parts supply chain.

The departures come as Musk’s behavior has become more erratic in recent weeks. His conduct has been questionable since the first-quarter earnings conference call when he criticized Wall Street analysts for asking “bonehead” questions about the company’s finances. Then he labeled a British diver who aided in the cave rescue of Thai football players a pedophile, and after apologizing, doubled-down on his accusation last week. He also took a hit off what apparently was a marijuana-tobacco joint during a podcast interview that made its rounds on YouTube.

But the most questionable action came when Musk tweeted Aug. 7 that he had secured funding to take the company private at $420 per share to get away from the short-term pressure of Wall Street. The tweets pushed the electric vehicle and solar panel maker’s stock price up 11 percent that day. But it subsequently fell when Musk revealed that funding wasn’t locked down.

On Aug. 24 Musk put out a statement saying the go-private deal was off, drawing scrutiny from the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Shares of Tesla closed Wednesday up 4 percent at $290.54, and they were down slightly in after-hours trading.

On Tuesday, Nomura analyst Romit Shah downgraded his rating on the company’s stock from “Buy” to “Neutral” on worries about Musk’s erratic behavior. The behavior is likely to have contributed to recent executive departures including Morton, Shah wrote.

Story: Tom Krisher

Myanmar’s Suu Kyi to Skip UN General Assembly Session

By

Associated Press

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13 September 2018, 11:10

Myanmar's State Counselor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi speaks to the media during a joint press conference with Japan's foreign minister Jan. 12, 2018. Photo: Hein Htet / Associated Press

HANOI — A senior Myanmar official has confirmed that the country’s leader, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, will not attend the U.N. General Assembly session this month in New York.

Minister for International Cooperation Kyaw Tin, who is accompanying Suu Kyi at a meeting of the World Economic Forum in Vietnam, said “She has no plan to go there.”

He was responding to a report in the Myanmar newspaper 7 Days citing a Myanmar foreign ministry official as saying that Suu Kyi would not attend the U.N. meetings. No reason was given.

Suu Kyi, who took office in 2016, also did not attend last year’s General Assembly meeting.

Myanmar is facing international pressure over human rights abuses allegedly committed by its military against the Rohingya Muslim minority.

About 700,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar’s western state of Rakhine last year after the army launched a brutal counterinsurgency campaign in response to August 2017 attacks by Rohingya militants on security forces.

The army is accused of committing mass rape, murder and setting fire to thousands of homes. A report issued two weeks ago by a specially appointed U.N. human rights team recommended prosecuting senior Myanmar commanders for genocide and other crimes.

The latest speakers’ list for the General Assembly meeting shows Myanmar represented by a minister and speaking on Sept. 28. The annual meeting of world leaders, called the General Debate, starts Sept. 25 and ends Monday Oct. 1. Normally, a country’s foreign minister would speak in the absence of its top leader, but because Suu Kyi also holds the foreign ministry portfolio, Myanmar’s speaker is likely to one of the two Cabinet ministers who 7 Days said would attend the meeting, Kyaw Tin and Kyaw Tint Swe.

Last year, Suu Kyi’s office said her reason for not attending the 2017 General Assembly session was because she had to handle domestic security issues after the attacks that triggered the army crackdown.

Although the violence in Rakhine state has eased, Myanmar has to deal with its aftermath, especially the repatriation of the Muslim Rohingya who fled and the underlying causes of tension that makes them targets of discrimination and repression in overwhelmingly Buddhist Myanmar.

The 7 Days newspaper article said the Myanmar delegation to the General Assembly meeting would “explain about current developments on repatriation and cooperation with international organizations.” U.N. agencies have an agreement with Myanmar’s government to help resettle the Rohingya when they are repatriated.

Vietnam Jails Activist for 12 Years in Crackdown on Dissent

By

Associated Press

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13 September 2018, 11:04

Junta chairman Prayuth Chan-ocha shakes hand with Vietnamese Nguyễn Xuân Phúc on Nov. 11 in Danang

HANOI — A court in central Vietnam sentenced an activist on Wednesday to 12 years in prison after finding him guilty of associating with an outlawed dissident group.

The state-run Quang Binh newspaper said the People’s Court in Quang Binh province convicted Nguyen Trung Truc in a half-day trial of attempting to overthrow the government. The court also ordered five years of house arrest after Truc finishes his sentence.

It said Truc, 44, was the head of the central region branch of the outlawed Brotherhood for Democracy. He was arrested in August last year.

The Brotherhood for Democracy wants to change the leadership of the ruling Communist Party and build a multiparty system.

Truc was the 9th member of the group put on trial since the beginning of this year. The others, including the group’s alleged co-founder, Nguyen Van Dai, were sentenced to up to 15 years in prison in April. Dai and another convicted member were released in June on condition that they go into exile in Germany.

International human rights groups have called for Truc’s release.

“All Nguyen Trung Truc is guilty of is speaking out for human rights and advocating for democracy in Vietnam, ” Minar Pimple, Amnesty International’s senior director of global operations, said in a statement Wednesday. “He has been deliberately targeted simply because he has expressed views and taken up causes that the country’s authorities disapprove of.”

Pimple was denied an entry visa to Vietnam where he was to attend this week’s World Economic Forum gathering in the capital, Amnesty International said Monday.

Last month, a court in Ho Chi Minh City sentenced 12 activists including two Americans of Vietnamese descent to up to 14 years on similar charges.

Despite sweeping economic reforms since the mid-1980s that opened the country to foreign trade and investment and made the country one of fastest-growing economies in the world, the Communist government tolerates no challenge to its one-party rule.

Cambodian Prime Minister Says ‘Let Us Fix Our Own Problems’

By

Associated Press

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13 September 2018, 10:58

Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia gestures as he talks about his vision for the Mekong region in the World Economic Forum on ASEAN at the National Convention Center Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018 in Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo: Bullit Marquez / Associated Press

HANOI, Vietnam — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen slammed criticism by outsiders of political issues in the Mekong region, saying Wednesday that the countries should be allowed to solve their own problems.

Speaking at a World Economic Forum gathering in Hanoi, Hun Sen heatedly defended Myanmar against accusations its security forces have engaged in genocide against its Rohingya minority.

Hun Sen said other countries do not understand the problems that Myanmar and its neighbors face.

“The situation in Myanmar is more serious because it has been accused of genocide, but do those who might accuse them know about Myanmar and do they know how to solve the situation up there?” he said, as he sat on the stage with Myanmar’s leader, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, and leaders from Vietnam, Laos and Thailand.

Cambodia’s one-party legislature confirmed Hun Sen for another five-year term last week, cementing his status as one of the world’s longest-serving leaders.

The 66-year-old Hun Sen has been in power for 33 years and declared before the election that he intended to serve two more terms.

Speaking vehemently at the end of a day of seminars and speeches focused on economic and development issues, he said Vietnam and Laos, with their communist, one-party governments, and Thailand’s military-led government should be allowed to be “peaceful politically.” Governments in Europe and elsewhere should not try to impose conditions on them, he said.

“The countries that do not know our countries, please leave us to solve our problems for ourselves,” he said.

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