ASEAN Discussion Thread

[New Visayan Islands]

Thai youth take to street in pro-democracy protest

-snip-

Ah, good for them!

Anyways, is it actually possible to get rid of the lese majeste law entirely, though? I haven't delved that deep into Thai politics yet.

I feel like it's only natural, since straight-up insulting the head of state anywhere should be a crime. However, I do wish they'd somehow draft up an official definition for what acts constitute lese majeste, e.g. drawing a clear line between what may be considered an actual insult to the king, vs. what should be considered a mere form of criticism directed towards the government instead of the monarch.

Of course, if by that you mean deposing the monarchy entirely, it would be a much different story.

Even if said head of state does something worth insulting? (coofDutertecoof)

[New Bremerton]

Thai youth take to street in pro-democracy protest

-snip-

Ah, good for them!

Anyways, is it actually possible to get rid of the lese majeste law entirely, though? I haven't delved that deep into Thai politics yet.

I feel like it's only natural, since straight-up insulting the head of state anywhere should be a crime. However, I do wish they'd somehow draft up an official definition for what acts constitute lese majeste, e.g. drawing a clear line between what may be considered an actual insult to the king, vs. what should be considered a mere form of criticism directed towards the government instead of the monarch.

Of course, if by that you mean deposing the monarchy entirely, it would be a much different story.

If the King of Thailand is corrupt, authoritarian, and so thin-skinned that he has to resort to silencing his critics by jailing them, then he should absolutely be deposed and his legacy relentlessly mocked and denigrated. In Malaysia, I would be arrested and charged with sedition for saying the monarchy should be abolished. Honestly, I think it should be abolished. What good has it done for this country besides leeching off the taxpayer, unlike the Queen of England whom I actually respect?

Any head of state, royal or not, who is unable to handle any sort of criticism or even blatant insults short of threatening violence and death deserves to be mocked, insulted, and trolled to the ends of the Earth. This applies to the King of Thailand, the Malay sultans, the Rajah of Perlis, and the King of Malaysia as much as it does to our Dear Leaders Xi, Kim, Trump, and other thin-skinned leaders. Winnie the Pooh is a meme in China for a very good reason.

The more you [not you personally, no offense] try to stamp out freedom of speech and freedom of expression, the more it will ultimately backfire and have the opposite outcome, because anyone who cares deeply about freedom is not going to appreciate the jackboot on their neck. I sure as hell won't. Want to lock me up for [x] years for "insulting [insert religion/monarchy here]"? Well, fuck you and fuck your religion, your culture, your language, your prophet, your king, your racial supremacy, and your holy book. Want to disappear me to a concentration camp and harvest my organs for advocating [insert country here]'s independence? Well, fuck you and fuck your country, your government, your flag, and your Dear Leader and Party. You deserve to be relentlessly mocked, trolled, insulted, denigrated, and run to the ground like the thin-skinned, crybullying, authoritarian piece of shit that you are because you tried to silence me and countless others in the first place. If you hadn't tried to censor us, none of this would be happening in the first place. [Again, you in the general sense, not you personally.]

So I'm just going to go ahead and say it: Fuck the King of Thailand and his loyalist generals. Arrest me, motherfuckers. And fuck you too, Xi Jinping, you fucking dog. Take your fucking hands off of HK and leave us the fuck alone. Stand with Thailand. Stand with Hong Kong.

[Imperial Majapahit]

Even if said head of state does something worth insulting? (coofDutertecoof)

Oh, my mistake. Should've specified that by "head of state", I meant a purely symbolic and ceremonial one with little to no governing powers in countries where the head of government is an entirely separate position. And because some presidents (like Mr. Duterte and Mr. Widodo) are also heads of government—meaning they have to be held accountable for their actions in that capacity—I don't intend to include them on the no-insult list.

If the King of Thailand is corrupt, authoritarian, and so thin-skinned that he has to resort to silencing his critics by jailing them, then he should absolutely be deposed and his legacy relentlessly mocked and denigrated. In Malaysia, I would be arrested and charged with sedition for saying the monarchy should be abolished. Honestly, I think it should be abolished. What good has it done for this country besides leeching off the taxpayer, unlike the Queen of England whom I actually respect?

-snip-

So I'm just going to go ahead and say it: Fuck the King of Thailand and his loyalist generals. Arrest me, motherfuckers. And fuck you too, Xi Jinping, you fucking dog. Take your fucking hands off of HK and leave us the fuck alone. Stand with Thailand. Stand with Hong Kong.

I see. That's an unfortunately common problem in many Asian monarchies, I've noticed. Unlike their modern European counterparts, they're not restricted to being only ceremonial figureheads, and thus take this "King" job rather seriously, doing whatever the flip they want like they own the entire place (some people might say they kinda do own the place, which contributes to the problem). The one very special exception to this is present-day Japan, which, I'm assuming we could all tolerate? After all, their US-sponsored constitution severely limits what they can legally do, to the point that every action taken by the Emperor must be approved by the civilian cabinet.

I would prefer if the Thai monarchy was "Japanised" that way, instead of abolished completely, as I think the King still serves an important role in Thai culture as a symbol of unity and as such should be preserved.

[Pilipinas and Malaya]

Ah, good for them!

Anyways, is it actually possible to get rid of the lese majeste law entirely, though? I haven't delved that deep into Thai politics yet.

I feel like it's only natural, since straight-up insulting the head of state anywhere should be a crime. However, I do wish they'd somehow draft up an official definition for what acts constitute lese majeste, e.g. drawing a clear line between what may be considered an actual insult to the king, vs. what should be considered a mere form of criticism directed towards the government instead of the monarch.

Of course, if by that you mean deposing the monarchy entirely, it would be a much different story.

If the King of Thailand is corrupt, authoritarian, and so thin-skinned that he has to resort to silencing his critics by jailing them, then he should absolutely be deposed and his legacy relentlessly mocked and denigrated. In Malaysia, I would be arrested and charged with sedition for saying the monarchy should be abolished. Honestly, I think it should be abolished. What good has it done for this country besides leeching off the taxpayer, unlike the Queen of England whom I actually respect?

Any head of state, royal or not, who is unable to handle any sort of criticism or even blatant insults short of threatening violence and death deserves to be mocked, insulted, and trolled to the ends of the Earth. This applies to the King of Thailand, the Malay sultans, the Rajah of Perlis, and the King of Malaysia as much as it does to our Dear Leaders Xi, Kim, Trump, and other thin-skinned leaders. Winnie the Pooh is a meme in China for a very good reason.

The more you [not you personally, no offense] try to stamp out freedom of speech and freedom of expression, the more it will ultimately backfire and have the opposite outcome, because anyone who cares deeply about freedom is not going to appreciate the jackboot on their neck. I sure as hell won't. Want to lock me up for [x] years for "insulting [insert religion/monarchy here]"? Well, fuck you and fuck your religion, your culture, your language, your prophet, your king, your racial supremacy, and your holy book. Want to disappear me to a concentration camp and harvest my organs for advocating [insert country here]'s independence? Well, fuck you and fuck your country, your government, your flag, and your Dear Leader and Party. You deserve to be relentlessly mocked, trolled, insulted, denigrated, and run to the ground like the thin-skinned, crybullying, authoritarian piece of shit that you are because you tried to silence me and countless others in the first place. If you hadn't tried to censor us, none of this would be happening in the first place. [Again, you in the general sense, not you personally.]

So I'm just going to go ahead and say it: Fuck the King of Thailand and his loyalist generals. Arrest me, motherfuckers. And fuck you too, Xi Jinping, you fucking dog. Take your fucking hands off of HK and leave us the fuck alone. Stand with Thailand. Stand with Hong Kong.

I agree a lot with this sentiment. Here in the Philippines, a senator by the name of Bong Go has imposed a sort of lese-majeste as well on himself. He did that by requesting the NBI (National Bureau of Intelligence) to investigate and subpoena those who insult him. That led to the hashtag #TanginaMoBongGo trending on Twitter (which literally means your mother’s a whore because of Spanish, but it’s used more of as a fuck you instead of that). Though I disagree with the fuck your culture thing NB used above, it still pretty much describes my resentment to quite a few countries’ governments on this planet.

If an official can’t take insults, that’s sorta fine since officials are human, but if they actually go after people for insulting them, fuck that.

Even if said head of state does something worth insulting? (coofDutertecoof)

Oh, my mistake. Should've specified that by "head of state", I meant a purely symbolic and ceremonial one with little to no governing powers in countries where the head of government is an entirely separate position. And because some presidents (like Mr. Duterte and Mr. Widodo) are also heads of government—meaning they have to be held accountable for their actions in that capacity—I don't intend to include them on the no-insult list.

If the King of Thailand is corrupt, authoritarian, and so thin-skinned that he has to resort to silencing his critics by jailing them, then he should absolutely be deposed and his legacy relentlessly mocked and denigrated. In Malaysia, I would be arrested and charged with sedition for saying the monarchy should be abolished. Honestly, I think it should be abolished. What good has it done for this country besides leeching off the taxpayer, unlike the Queen of England whom I actually respect?

-snip-

So I'm just going to go ahead and say it: Fuck the King of Thailand and his loyalist generals. Arrest me, motherfuckers. And fuck you too, Xi Jinping, you fucking dog. Take your fucking hands off of HK and leave us the fuck alone. Stand with Thailand. Stand with Hong Kong.

I see. That's an unfortunately common problem in many Asian monarchies, I've noticed. Unlike their modern European counterparts, they're not restricted to being only ceremonial figureheads, and thus take this "King" job rather seriously, doing whatever the flip they want like they own the entire place (some people might say they kinda do own the place, which contributes to the problem). The one very special exception to this is present-day Japan, which, I'm assuming we could all tolerate? After all, their US-sponsored constitution severely limits what they can legally do, to the point that every action taken by the Emperor must be approved by the civilian cabinet.

I would prefer if the Thai monarchy was "Japanised" that way, instead of abolished completely, as I think the King still serves an important role in Thai culture as a symbol of unity and as such should be preserved.

Am pretty cool with constitutional monarchies, absolutes or puppetmasters are abhorrent on the other hand. I hate those sorts of monarchies. The Japanised Monarchy system is pretty amazing as well. Monarchs are pretty much in power now to remain as constant figureheads for at least a generation or two, someone the country can rally behind.

[Glorious Hong Kong]

No. Just no. We are NOT selling our sovereignty to China. Over my dead body. This Belt-and-Road project should be scrapped post-haste. This is happening at a time when China is "congratulating" (i.e. threatening) us for being a doormat in the South China North Borneo Sea.

https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/535643

Bandar M'sia developer given more time to pay up due to Covid-19

Published 8:09 pm
Modified 8:09 pm

The developer of the Bandar Malaysia project has been given a time extension to fulfil conditions for buying into the project.

Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz said TRX City Sdn Bhd (TRXC) had approved IWH-CREC Sdn Bhd (ICSB)’s request for the extension in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“As a result of the spread of Covid-19, TRXC has approved ICSB’s request to be given an extension of time to fulfil the conditions of sale from June 17 to Nov 5; and an extension of time on paying the deposit and advance from April 30 to Sept 15,” said Zafrul in a parliamentary reply to an oral question by Damansara MP Tony Pua.

ICSB is a joint venture between Malaysia's Iskandar Waterfront Holdings (IWH) and China’s China Railway Engineering Corporation (CREC).

As a condition for buying into the project, it was required to pay an advance of RM500 million and a deposit of RM741 million.

READ MORE: KiniGuide - How ICSB got back Bandar M’sia after botched Najib-era deal

Meanwhile, Zafrul said TRXC has received RM148.2 million so far from selling a 60 percent stake in the project. That amount is two percent of the RM6.45 billion value of the stake.

TRXC expects to receive nearly RM1.1 billion by Sept 15, while the remainder will be paid in installments up to 2023, he said.

In addition, ICSB is still in the process of fulfilling several other conditions of the sale.

The developer is still seeking approval from five China agencies involved in the regulation of foreign investments and currency exchange, as well as Bank Negara approval for the same.

The project is also pending the conclusion of ICSB’s due diligence checks on Bandar Malaysia, Zafrul said.

Meanwhile, the government now suddenly expects everyone to apply for a license to produce documentaries and is retroactively accusing Al Jazeera for failing to do so prior to airing Locked Up in Malaysia's Lockdown. There go all those YT videos, amirite? It has also taken to fining TV providers for airing something FIVE YEARS AGO.

https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/535599

Fine on Astro shows govt vengeful, cannot take criticism - ass't prof

Geraldine Tong
Published 4:40 pm
Modified 6:22 pm
10

The fine on satellite television provider Astro, issued five years after re-airing an Al Jazeera documentary in 2015, clearly shows that the government does not tolerate criticism, says academic V Gayathry.

"It is clear that the government and political leaders do not tolerate any criticism, are engaged in vengeful politics, and are not interested in dialogue or engagement with stakeholders," she said when contacted by Malaysiakini today.

She explained that the fine on Astro was the latest in a series of censorship incidents by the government, which includes suddenly requiring approval from the National Film Development Corporation (Finas).

The fine imposed on Astro, she adds, also indicates another attempt by the authorities to harass news station Al Jazeera, even if it meant the government would go after broadcasters that only published the content.

“The government appears to want to build a case against Al Jazeera. If it wants to dispute the content (in the documentary), the best thing to do is present facts and arguments," said Gayathry who is a media and politics assistant professor at the University of Nottingham.

Presenting the government's side of the story would be better, she said, than using the arm of the law against local and international media.

The documentary in question was produced by Al Jazeera and was on the murder of Mongolian woman Altantuya Shaariibuu.

The compound from the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) that was sighted by Malaysiakini was issued to Measat Broadcast Network Systems Bhd, which operates Astro.

The notice was sent to Measat on July 7, close to five years after the documentary had re-aired four times on Sept 11, 12, and 14, 2015. The show was first aired on Sept 10, 2015.

This comes after Al Jazeera fell under police scrutiny for its July 3 documentary “Locked up in Malaysia’s Lockdown”. Both the documentaries were part of the news station's award-winning Asia Pacific current affairs programme, 101 East.

On Tuesday, Finas also said Al Jazeera did not have the necessary licences to film “Locked Up in Malaysia’s Lockdown”.

Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil then questioned whether other broadcasting companies such as TV3 or the History Channel actually had the necessary licences to film documentaries in the country.

“It was said before this that Al Jazeera does not have a documentary licence to film documentaries, so I would like to ask the minister to provide an explanation.

“How many media companies such as TV3 which has the Majalah 3 programme and the History Channel who had once made a documentary about Malaysia, do they have this documentary licence?” Fahmi asked in the Dewan Rakyat.

Police are investigating Al Jazeera for allegedly breaching Section 22 (1) of the Finas Act 1981 (Amendment 2013) for carrying out film production activities without a valid licence from Finas.

The news company is also being investigated for sedition and improper use of network facilities. 101 East journalists have even received death threats from Malaysians who were incensed by what they perceived to be a negative portrayal of the country, Al Jazeera had said.

On July 12, a week after the "Lockdown" documentary was aired, the Immigration Department cancelled the work visa of Bangladesh citizen Md Rayhan Kabir, 25, who appeared in the film and alleged that there was mistreatment against migrants by the Malaysian government.

Last but not least, the PN government proves that Malaysia is turning into a police state by arresting an activist for saying that Malaysia is turning into a police state.

Penang C4 activist held over post critical of MCO arrests

Hariz Mohd
Published 2:00 pm
Modified 2:59 pm
5

Activist K Sudhagaran Stanley was arrested over an old social media posting critical of police arrests when enforcing the movement control order (MCO).

Bukit Aman CID deputy director Mior Faridalathrash Wahid confirmed Sudhagaran (above) was being investigated for his April 2 Facebook post with the heading "Are we turning into a police state during the MCO period”.

This contradicted other media reports which speculated the Penang Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) northern region coordinator was nabbed due to a Facebook post on the defacing of murals in Shah Alam, including one that depicted the Agong.

“Yes (he was arrested over the post), he was remanded for a day and released on bail.

“The case was already being investigated but due to Covid-19, only now we are proceeding,” Mior said when contacted by Malaysiakini.

Sudhagaran, 35, is reportedly being investigated for sedition, making statements leading to public mischief and the misuse of Internet services.

In the posting, he questioned the arrests of 24 seminarians in Penang for violating the MCO by playing football within their college compound.

The men were later charged under Regulation 3(2) Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (measures within infected local areas) Regulations 2020 and were ordered to carry out social service work.

Sudhagaran also questioned the alleged high number of arrests made during the early MCO period and the purported lack of oversight into the rights of detainees.

This was as the new Perikatan Nasional government imposed the strict MCO on March 18 which involved travel restrictions and the lockdown of all but essential services and business, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It later began easing restrictions in May in a bid to revitalise the economy and in light of reduced number of cases in the country.

When contacted, Sudhagaran confirmed the matter and said he was released on bail after the court only granted the police a one-day remand.

NGOs have criticised the arrest, notably the manner in which it was carried out late at night, including C4 which labelled the arrest “chilling”.

The organisation cited concerns it was “aimed at instilling fear and silencing voices that are critical of the administration of this country.”

Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) called on Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador to review internal police policies that “allow such absurd practices”.

Additional reporting by Alyaa Alhadjri

What next? Being charged with "insulting Islam" for calling for a law banning "insults" against Islam to be scrapped? Being arrested for lese majeste for challenging a law banning lese majeste?

Also crossposting from the Duterteland thread:

https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/535597

Philippine journo rejects 'politically motivated' tax evasion charges

Reuters
Published 4:36 pm
Modified 4:39 pm

Maria Ressa, a journalist who runs a Philippine news website known for its tough scrutiny of President Rodrigo Duterte, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to tax evasion charges, saying the case was politically motivated to harass and intimidate.

Ressa (above), a Time Magazine Person of the Year in 2018 for fighting media intimidation, is facing several government lawsuits that have caused international concern about harassment of journalists in the Philippines, a country long seen as a standard-bearer for press freedom in Asia.

Ressa, 56, who is chief executive of the news site Rappler, was convicted of libel last month and sentenced to up to six years in prison, a ruling widely seen as a blow to democratic freedoms under Duterte's increasingly popular authoritarianism. She was freed on bail.

Ressa's latest court appearance is over accusations Rappler falsified tax returns by omitting the proceeds of a sale of depositary receipts to foreign investors, which later became the securities regulator's basis to revoke its license.

"These charges are politically motivated, it is meant to harass and intimidate, it is meant to be a war of attrition to try to make us afraid to keep reporting," Ressa, a dual US-Filipino citizen, told reporters after she pleaded not guilty to the charges.

"The best response to it is to keep reporting."

Rappler has repeatedly challenged the accuracy of Duterte's public statements and his justification for his controversial foreign policy.

It has also reported on alleged atrocities in his war on drugs and probed what it says are massive, state-orchestrated social media hate campaigns against Duterte's critics.

Duterte has publicly lashed out at Rappler, calling it a "fake news outlet" sponsored by American spies.

In the tax evasion case, the securities regulator alleges that Rappler allowed foreigners to illegally own shares in a domestic media firm.

Rappler, a startup, has maintained foreigners never owned shares but were allowed to invest without voting rights or involvement in operations. Rappler is still operating pending its appeal against its license being revoked.

Media watchdogs and human rights activists say the charges against Ressa are part of a broader strategy to silence or humiliate opponents of Duterte.

Earlier this month, his allies in Congress voted overwhelmingly in favour of denying top broadcaster ABS-CBN's bid to renew its 25-year license, an outcome that Duterte had repeatedly promised would happen because of its refusal to air some of his election campaign commercials.

"It is shocking where we are right now," Ressa said.

"It is unthinkable that ABS-CBN shut down. This is the perfect storm where the pandemic and lockdown enabled the government to quickly consolidate power."

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque reiterated Duterte supports freedom of speech and any media facing legal cases are for breaking the law, not for their reporting.

"The press can keep on reporting as long as there is no violation and has the right to continue its operations," he said in a statement.

Liberate the Philippines. Revolution of our Times.

[Pilipinas and Malaya]

Also crossposting from the Duterteland thread:

https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/535597

Philippine journo rejects 'politically motivated' tax evasion charges

Reuters
Published 4:36 pm
Modified 4:39 pm

Maria Ressa, a journalist who runs a Philippine news website known for its tough scrutiny of President Rodrigo Duterte, pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to tax evasion charges, saying the case was politically motivated to harass and intimidate.

Ressa (above), a Time Magazine Person of the Year in 2018 for fighting media intimidation, is facing several government lawsuits that have caused international concern about harassment of journalists in the Philippines, a country long seen as a standard-bearer for press freedom in Asia.

Ressa, 56, who is chief executive of the news site Rappler, was convicted of libel last month and sentenced to up to six years in prison, a ruling widely seen as a blow to democratic freedoms under Duterte's increasingly popular authoritarianism. She was freed on bail.

Ressa's latest court appearance is over accusations Rappler falsified tax returns by omitting the proceeds of a sale of depositary receipts to foreign investors, which later became the securities regulator's basis to revoke its license.

"These charges are politically motivated, it is meant to harass and intimidate, it is meant to be a war of attrition to try to make us afraid to keep reporting," Ressa, a dual US-Filipino citizen, told reporters after she pleaded not guilty to the charges.

"The best response to it is to keep reporting."

Rappler has repeatedly challenged the accuracy of Duterte's public statements and his justification for his controversial foreign policy.

It has also reported on alleged atrocities in his war on drugs and probed what it says are massive, state-orchestrated social media hate campaigns against Duterte's critics.

Duterte has publicly lashed out at Rappler, calling it a "fake news outlet" sponsored by American spies.

In the tax evasion case, the securities regulator alleges that Rappler allowed foreigners to illegally own shares in a domestic media firm.

Rappler, a startup, has maintained foreigners never owned shares but were allowed to invest without voting rights or involvement in operations. Rappler is still operating pending its appeal against its license being revoked.

Media watchdogs and human rights activists say the charges against Ressa are part of a broader strategy to silence or humiliate opponents of Duterte.

Earlier this month, his allies in Congress voted overwhelmingly in favour of denying top broadcaster ABS-CBN's bid to renew its 25-year license, an outcome that Duterte had repeatedly promised would happen because of its refusal to air some of his election campaign commercials.

"It is shocking where we are right now," Ressa said.

"It is unthinkable that ABS-CBN shut down. This is the perfect storm where the pandemic and lockdown enabled the government to quickly consolidate power."

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque reiterated Duterte supports freedom of speech and any media facing legal cases are for breaking the law, not for their reporting.

"The press can keep on reporting as long as there is no violation and has the right to continue its operations," he said in a statement.

Liberate the Philippines. Revolution of our Times.

I honestly can’t stand two more years of Duterte and PDP-Laban rule. I’m not sure if I can agree with your sentiment though, considering the anti-terror bill is in effect. If I agreed, I could be violating it’s provisions...

[Glorious Hong Kong]

Goldman Sachs settles 1MDB scandal with Malaysia for $3.9bn

So Goldman Sachs is to pay out $2.5bn to the very same people who were responsible for the scandal in the first place and are now back in power thanks to Azmin and Muhyiddin's unforgivable treachery. Yay! /s

EDIT:

One of the witnesses in the controversial Al Jazeera documentary has just been arrested

Migrant who gave interview to Al Jazeera arrested

Bernama
Published 8:23 am
Modified 10:57 am
23

Md Rayhan Kabir, the Bangladeshi man wanted by the Immigration Department in connection with the controversial Al Jazeera documentary "Locked Up in Malaysia's Lockdown", has been arrested, police said.

Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department deputy director (Investigation/Legal) Mior Faridalathrash Wahid said the 25-year-old Rayhan was arrested by the Immigration Department and handed over to the police at 6pm yesterday.

“Yes, confirmed detained by the Immigration Department,” he told Bernama in a WhatsApp message.

The Immigration Department had earlier sought public help to track down Rayhan to help in an investigation under the Immigration Act 1959/63.

Authorities accuse Rayhan of making false allegations on Malaysia's treatment of illegal immigrants in its fight against the Covid-19 pandemic when he was interviewed in the Al Jazeera documentary.

Police have also started investigating the international television channel for its airing of the documentary.

- Bernama

I don't like illegal immigration and ungrateful Rohingya refugees who plot terror attacks against non-Muslims, and I'm not a huge fan of the Al Jazeera fake news network and all the blatant lies they've told about Israel in past years. I've spoken out VERY strongly against all these groups in the past and I don't appreciate other ignorant Malaysians appropriating a perfectly legitimate suspicion of uncontrolled immigration, which I totally share, to justify this kind of vindictive, authoritarian crackdown. This is an affront to due process, democracy, a free press, and the rule of law.

The Malaysian government's relentless witch hunt against Al Jazeera and Malaysiakini and ESPECIALLY its hounding of a migrant worker simply for having an OPINION that *some* people don't like is even MORE outrageous and despicable. Journalism is not a fucking crime. If they don't like what a broadcaster has to say, they should go on air and rebut their claims instead of harassing and intimidating journalists and foreigners like the thin-skinned crybullies that they are.

Md Rayhan Kabir should be freed immediately and compensated for all the shit he's been put through. The Malaysian government should apologize to him and Al Jazeera for everything that has transpired since the documentary was first aired. And when are we going to deport Zakir Naik? That guy actually incites hateful, racist, Islamist nonsense against non-Malays and non-Muslims. What double standard is this?

[Glorious Hong Kong]

Najib Razak: Malaysian ex-PM gets 12-year jail term in 1MDB corruption trial

Looks like our courts are still semi-independent from the PN-controlled executive branch despite UMNO's return to power. We'll see how the appeals go.

Police failed to fine, arrest or otherwise take harsh action against Najib's supporters for gathering, chanting loudly, and failing to social-distance and wear face masks like they normally do with everyone else. Najib and co. get the VIP treatment while ordinary Malaysians are promptly arrested for violating the MCO in far smaller ways.

Not that I support arresting and charging protesters in principle, but this is a clear-cut instance of freedom for me but not for thee.

[New Visayan Islands]

You'd think Sabah was already one helluva done deal, but no...

Wait, didn't Duterte set the claim to Sabah aside shortly after become President? Why the potshot at the US Embassy for stating the obvious?

Anyway, Eid Mubarak!

[Glorious Hong Kong]

You'd think Sabah was already one helluva done deal, but no...

Wait, didn't Duterte set the claim to Sabah aside shortly after become President? Why the potshot at the US Embassy for stating the obvious?

Anyway, Eid Mubarak!

Intra-ASEAN territorial disputes should be set aside for as long as China continues to elbow its way into the North Borneo Sea. When Tun M was in office, our government reignited a territorial dispute with Singapore over a tiny patch of water that clearly means a lot more to Singapore than it does to us given the city-state's tiny size. Meanwhile, China was building artificial islands and military installations in the Malaysian Sea.

[Diahon]

Thai youth take to street in pro-democracy protest

-snip-

Ah, good for them!

Anyways, is it actually possible to get rid of the lese majeste law entirely, though? I haven't delved that deep into Thai politics yet.

I feel like it's only natural, since straight-up insulting the head of state anywhere should be a crime. However, I do wish they'd somehow draft up an official definition for what acts constitute lese majeste, e.g. drawing a clear line between what may be considered an actual insult to the king, vs. what should be considered a mere form of criticism directed towards the government instead of the monarch.

Of course, if by that you mean deposing the monarchy entirely, it would be a much different story.

no fuck that stop

people sometimes (ok, for some it's at least most of the time) do shit, and they should get roundly mocked for it or else they'd never learn

[Region of Dwipantara]

Thai youth take to street in pro-democracy protest

-snip-

Ah, good for them!

Anyways, is it actually possible to get rid of the lese majeste law entirely, though? I haven't delved that deep into Thai politics yet.

I feel like it's only natural, since straight-up insulting the head of state anywhere should be a crime. However, I do wish they'd somehow draft up an official definition for what acts constitute lese majeste, e.g. drawing a clear line between what may be considered an actual insult to the king, vs. what should be considered a mere form of criticism directed towards the government instead of the monarch.

Of course, if by that you mean deposing the monarchy entirely, it would be a much different story.

Problem is, that's exactly the same thing as asking for the abolition of military rule. Which for now ain't gonna happen.

The insane lese majeste law, including the one where a factory worker was sentenced to 37 years in prison for disrespecting the king's dog, traditionally surges just before a military coup. Heck, the monarchy institution itself is basically just a tool to keep national unity after continuous coupings and whatnot (AFAIK only one person, Thaksin successfully completed one full term as PM).

I feel like it's only natural, since straight-up insulting the head of state anywhere should be a crime.

"Insult should be a crime" is a rubber law that can easily and had been easily exploited to clamp down on opposition. As an example for the ridiculousness of an unsupervised head of state (unlike, say, Queen Elizabeth II or Emperor Naruhito who are both subject to high standards of states[wo]manship), lemme tell you the story of Fufu the dog.

Fufu was the pet poodle of Maha Vajiralongkorn, who was at that time the Crown Prince of Thailand. Fufu came to wider public attention in 2009, when he appeared in a leaked video showing the Crown Prince's third wife, Princess Srirasmi, feeding a birthday cake to the dog while only wearing a G-string. A few months later, US Ambassador Ralph L. Boyce attended a gala dinner in honor of the Crown Prince at which the dog appeared "dressed in formal evening attire complete with paw mitts". Boyce further reported that Fufu had been "promoted" to the rank of air chief marshal in the Royal Thai Air Force. According to the ambassador's cable to Washington, subsequently released by WikiLeaks, "at one point during the band's second number, he jumped up onto the head table and began lapping from the guests' water glasses, including my own. The air chief marshal's antics drew the full attention of the 600-plus audience members, and remains the talk of the town to this day." The death of Fufu in early 2015 was followed by four days of Buddhist funeral rites and the dog's cremation, images from which were widely shared on social media in Thailand.

This would be a funny story, until we remember the case involving the previous king's dog, as already mentioned:

Faces multiple charges including that of insulting the king's adopted dog Tongdaeng. He was detained on 8 December 2015 and kept in an undisclosed location prompting fears of his forced disappearance.[110] Thai military junta did not detail the precise insult made towards the animal. He faces up to 37 years in prison.[111] He was granted bail on 8 March 2016; the bail was set at half a million baht.

[Diahon]

tl;dr = putting leaders above criticism is a very bad thing

[Glorious Hong Kong]

Ah, good for them!

Anyways, is it actually possible to get rid of the lese majeste law entirely, though? I haven't delved that deep into Thai politics yet.

I feel like it's only natural, since straight-up insulting the head of state anywhere should be a crime. However, I do wish they'd somehow draft up an official definition for what acts constitute lese majeste, e.g. drawing a clear line between what may be considered an actual insult to the king, vs. what should be considered a mere form of criticism directed towards the government instead of the monarch.

Of course, if by that you mean deposing the monarchy entirely, it would be a much different story.

Problem is, that's exactly the same thing as asking for the abolition of military rule. Which for now ain't gonna happen.

The insane lese majeste law, including the one where a factory worker was sentenced to 37 years in prison for disrespecting the king's dog, traditionally surges just before a military coup. Heck, the monarchy institution itself is basically just a tool to keep national unity after continuous coupings and whatnot (AFAIK only one person, Thaksin successfully completed one full term as PM).

I feel like it's only natural, since straight-up insulting the head of state anywhere should be a crime.

"Insult should be a crime" is a rubber law that can easily and had been easily exploited to clamp down on opposition. As an example for the ridiculousness of an unsupervised head of state (unlike, say, Queen Elizabeth II or Emperor Naruhito who are both subject to high standards of states[wo]manship), lemme tell you the story of Fufu the dog.

Fufu was the pet poodle of Maha Vajiralongkorn, who was at that time the Crown Prince of Thailand. Fufu came to wider public attention in 2009, when he appeared in a leaked video showing the Crown Prince's third wife, Princess Srirasmi, feeding a birthday cake to the dog while only wearing a G-string. A few months later, US Ambassador Ralph L. Boyce attended a gala dinner in honor of the Crown Prince at which the dog appeared "dressed in formal evening attire complete with paw mitts". Boyce further reported that Fufu had been "promoted" to the rank of air chief marshal in the Royal Thai Air Force. According to the ambassador's cable to Washington, subsequently released by WikiLeaks, "at one point during the band's second number, he jumped up onto the head table and began lapping from the guests' water glasses, including my own. The air chief marshal's antics drew the full attention of the 600-plus audience members, and remains the talk of the town to this day." The death of Fufu in early 2015 was followed by four days of Buddhist funeral rites and the dog's cremation, images from which were widely shared on social media in Thailand.

This would be a funny story, until we remember the case involving the previous king's dog, as already mentioned:

Faces multiple charges including that of insulting the king's adopted dog Tongdaeng. He was detained on 8 December 2015 and kept in an undisclosed location prompting fears of his forced disappearance.[110] Thai military junta did not detail the precise insult made towards the animal. He faces up to 37 years in prison.[111] He was granted bail on 8 March 2016; the bail was set at half a million baht.

This is even worse than the 11 years Alister Cogia received for "insulting Islam". That is FUCKED UP. I've had some really bad experiences with dogs both as a kid and as an adult so this strikes a personal nerve. What an absolutely vile, disgusting mutt that this vengeful government is jailing people over. I fear site rules prohibit me from saying exactly what I think should happen to it, if only to deliberately troll and piss them off even further.

Liberate the REPUBLIC of Thailand. Revolution of our Times. The Milk Tea Alliance remains as strong as ever.

Speaking of national liberation, here's a clip of Vietnamese-Americans singing Glory to Hong Kong in Vietnamese. These folks are opposed to both the Chinese and Vietnamese Communist regimes.

Meanwhile in Vietnam itself...

Vietnam reports biggest jump in COVID-19 cases, mobilises health team
Phuong Nguyen, Khanh Vu

2 Min Read

Healthcare workers talk to a local resident (C) near the house of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patient as they investigate infection links in Hanoi, Vietnam July 30, 2020. REUTERS/Kham

HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam on Friday reported 45 new coronavirus infections in the city of Danang, marking the country’s biggest single-day jump in cases, as the health ministry sent more health experts to the central city in a bid to combat the outbreak.

The new patients, aged between 27 and 87, are linked to three hospitals and two clinics in Danang, a tourism hot spot where Vietnam last week detected its first locally transmitted infections in more than three months, the ministry said in a statement.

Vietnam started mass coronavirus testing in the capital Hanoi, banned gatherings in its economic hub and urged tens of thousands of domestic travellers to report to authorities on Thursday, as the country scrambled to contain the new spread of the virus.

The ministry overnight sent a special task force of health experts, along with more than 1,000 health workers, to Danang to help handle the deteriorating situation there, it said.

The task force includes 65 health experts who had previously helped fight coronavirus at other epicentres in Vietnam, the ministry said.

The newly confirmed cases in Danang have brought up the total number of cases in Vietnam to 509, with no deaths.

Some experts say Vietnam could be paying for complacency after its initial success stopping the virus, with normal service quickly resuming, facemasks used less and domestic travel activity surging.

Danang had been inundated with visitors taking advantage of promotions to revitalise a tourism sector hurt by border closures and international flight bans designed to keep the virus out.

The current wave is traced to Danang, but the source is unclear.

Vietnam was supposed to be one of the safest countries in the world in terms of pandemic preparedness. How did the virus re-emerge after so many months?

[Diahon]

apparently someone in danang contracted the virus

when i last checked, the authorities were puzzled as to how the guy could possibly have been infected

have they figured it out? dunno

[Twicetagram and JYPe]

You'd think Sabah was already one helluva done deal, but no...

Wait, didn't Duterte set the claim to Sabah aside shortly after become President? Why the potshot at the US Embassy for stating the obvious?

Anyway, Eid Mubarak!

Intra-ASEAN territorial disputes should be set aside for as long as China continues to elbow its way into the North Borneo Sea. When Tun M was in office, our government reignited a territorial dispute with Singapore over a tiny patch of water that clearly means a lot more to Singapore than it does to us given the city-state's tiny size. Meanwhile, China was building artificial islands and military installations in the Malaysian Sea.

bro I was actually learning about this for history.
I mean, it's just a few rocks and a lighthouse.

[Sarderia]

You'd think Sabah was already one helluva done deal, but no...

Wait, didn't Duterte set the claim to Sabah aside shortly after become President? Why the potshot at the US Embassy for stating the obvious?

Anyway, Eid Mubarak!

Intra-ASEAN territorial disputes should be set aside for as long as China continues to elbow its way into the North Borneo Sea. When Tun M was in office, our government reignited a territorial dispute with Singapore over a tiny patch of water that clearly means a lot more to Singapore than it does to us given the city-state's tiny size. Meanwhile, China was building artificial islands and military installations in the Malaysian Sea.

It would be a hard, long time before ASEAN could be united against the Chinese aggression. They seemed to have the means to control politicians even in foreign countries. When there's no relation with China, politicians are too busy with their own power struggles. A coordinating minister in Indonesian President Widodo's cabinet has long been an ardent defender of the influx of Chinese migrant workers, Chinese loans, Chinese projects, Chinese companies mining nickel in Indonesia, etc, etc. Makes me wonder what really happened behind it all.

Indonesia used to be the Asian Tiger during Soekarno's presidency. It even pulled out of the UN, threatened the US, and invaded Malaysia sometime. To think nowadays Indonesia's natural riches are being sold liberally for foreign companies to mine.

[San Kalungsod Saludong]

Intra-ASEAN territorial disputes should be set aside for as long as China continues to elbow its way into the North Borneo Sea. When Tun M was in office, our government reignited a territorial dispute with Singapore over a tiny patch of water that clearly means a lot more to Singapore than it does to us given the city-state's tiny size. Meanwhile, China was building artificial islands and military installations in the Malaysian Sea.

It would be a hard, long time before ASEAN could be united against the Chinese aggression. They seemed to have the means to control politicians even in foreign countries. When there's no relation with China, politicians are too busy with their own power struggles. A coordinating minister in Indonesian President Widodo's cabinet has long been an ardent defender of the influx of Chinese migrant workers, Chinese loans, Chinese projects, Chinese companies mining nickel in Indonesia, etc, etc. Makes me wonder what really happened behind it all.

Indonesia used to be the Asian Tiger during Soekarno's presidency. It even pulled out of the UN, threatened the US, and invaded Malaysia sometime. To think nowadays Indonesia's natural riches are being sold liberally for foreign companies to mine.

That's quite unfortunate. Indonesia deserves better.

[Region of Dwipantara]

Indonesia used to be the Asian Tiger during Soekarno's presidency. It even pulled out of the UN, threatened the US, and invaded Malaysia sometime. To think nowadays Indonesia's natural riches are being sold liberally for foreign companies to mine.

During the same time period, Indonesia also used to have a 600% inflation, a corrupt cabinet that consists of 100 ministers, financial sanering that results in many suicides according to my grandma, pathetic infrastructure and investment flow, isolation from the international community, and intense polarization.

Tbh, the quality of Sukarno's rule is pretty bad, especially after Hatta's departure. It is full of politics based on an unsustainable ideological fantasy for glory (seen best on the Mercusuar projects), while ignoring other critical sectors. No wonder people are demonstrating against him by 1966.

Honestly I'll be somewhat tolerant to the New Order if Suharto stepped down after 2 term and replaced by the likes of Hamengkubuwana IX or (more likely) Ali Sadikin, and gradually reform to democracy like Taiwan. Or better yet, if the 2 term limit still happen, but Nasution was the one who became president in 1967. (Sidenote: Nasution was both a nationalist and an avid Muslim whose moral compass is at least pretty solid. Meanwhile, Suharto was almost fired from the army in the late 50's for abusing his position to smuggle sugar and racket local businesses in central Java, so he's pretty bad even before coming into power).

[Glorious Hong Kong]

Intra-ASEAN territorial disputes should be set aside for as long as China continues to elbow its way into the North Borneo Sea. When Tun M was in office, our government reignited a territorial dispute with Singapore over a tiny patch of water that clearly means a lot more to Singapore than it does to us given the city-state's tiny size. Meanwhile, China was building artificial islands and military installations in the Malaysian Sea.

It would be a hard, long time before ASEAN could be united against the Chinese aggression. They seemed to have the means to control politicians even in foreign countries. When there's no relation with China, politicians are too busy with their own power struggles. A coordinating minister in Indonesian President Widodo's cabinet has long been an ardent defender of the influx of Chinese migrant workers, Chinese loans, Chinese projects, Chinese companies mining nickel in Indonesia, etc, etc. Makes me wonder what really happened behind it all.

Indonesia used to be the Asian Tiger during Soekarno's presidency. It even pulled out of the UN, threatened the US, and invaded Malaysia sometime. To think nowadays Indonesia's natural riches are being sold liberally for foreign companies to mine.

If only Borneo and Indonesia weren't so resource-rich. Imagine how much better off we would be.

[Sarderia]

It would be a hard, long time before ASEAN could be united against the Chinese aggression. They seemed to have the means to control politicians even in foreign countries. When there's no relation with China, politicians are too busy with their own power struggles. A coordinating minister in Indonesian President Widodo's cabinet has long been an ardent defender of the influx of Chinese migrant workers, Chinese loans, Chinese projects, Chinese companies mining nickel in Indonesia, etc, etc. Makes me wonder what really happened behind it all.

Indonesia used to be the Asian Tiger during Soekarno's presidency. It even pulled out of the UN, threatened the US, and invaded Malaysia sometime. To think nowadays Indonesia's natural riches are being sold liberally for foreign companies to mine.

If only Borneo and Indonesia weren't so resource-rich. Imagine how much better off we would be.

imo, Indonesia also benefits from Borneo's coal and oil reserves. It increased the regional GDPs and it brings a ton of revenue to the provincial governments. Too bad the resource curse plagues almost every human alive in the world. Give them too much money, and instead of spending it on repaiting shitty dirt roads in the interior (which really brings a shame to any Indonesian, especially when you compare North or East Kalimantan's roads with Sabah's or Sarawak's), funding schools, general hospitals, etc. they used it to tour the world, going to Europe and the Middle East under the pretense of "learning from other regions/cities to bulit their region".

[Glorious Hong Kong]

If only Borneo and Indonesia weren't so resource-rich. Imagine how much better off we would be.

imo, Indonesia also benefits from Borneo's coal and oil reserves. It increased the regional GDPs and it brings a ton of revenue to the provincial governments. Too bad the resource curse plagues almost every human alive in the world. Give them too much money, and instead of spending it on repaiting shitty dirt roads in the interior (which really brings a shame to any Indonesian, especially when you compare North or East Kalimantan's roads with Sabah's or Sarawak's), funding schools, general hospitals, etc. they used it to tour the world, going to Europe and the Middle East under the pretense of "learning from other regions/cities to bulit their region".

Sabah and Sarawak's roads lag far behind the far more developed highway system along the Malayan West Coast, except for a small handful of roads frequented by Taib and his VIP cronies that hardly anyone uses. West Malaysia has prospered at our expense. Are you saying Kalimantan's roads are even worse than ours?

[Region of Dwipantara]

imo, Indonesia also benefits from Borneo's coal and oil reserves. It increased the regional GDPs and it brings a ton of revenue to the provincial governments. Too bad the resource curse plagues almost every human alive in the world. Give them too much money, and instead of spending it on repaiting shitty dirt roads in the interior (which really brings a shame to any Indonesian, especially when you compare North or East Kalimantan's roads with Sabah's or Sarawak's), funding schools, general hospitals, etc. they used it to tour the world, going to Europe and the Middle East under the pretense of "learning from other regions/cities to bulit their region".

Sabah and Sarawak's roads lag far behind the far more developed highway system along the Malayan West Coast, except for a small handful of roads frequented by Taib and his VIP cronies that hardly anyone uses. West Malaysia has prospered at our expense. Are you saying Kalimantan's roads are even worse than ours?

There was a movie called Tanah Surga Katanya ("Land of Paradise, they say") that highlights the stark difference between the prosperous Sabah-Sarawak and the underdeveloped shithole known as Kalimantan (Indonesia's side of Borneo). This scene of the border crossing between the paved Malaysia and the dirt Indonesia was particularly famous:

Bob Hasan, an immensely rich oligarch and Suharto's crony, was popularly known as the "owner of Kalimantan" during the New Order. And to this day, the vast majority of the land (Afaik is 60% at the smallest) is still controlled by big shots such as defense minister and eternal presidential candidate Prabowo, whose land is five times the size of Yogyakarta region, to big companies such as Sinarmas. Now however, the border crossings has been significantly improved, highways are being built, and with the capital city moving to the East Kalimantan (afaik the richest province in Kalimantan) by 2024, I expect development to improve significantly in not only the whole Kalimantan, but also its neighboring Sulawesi.

[Glorious Hong Kong]

Thai protesters openly criticize monarchy

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Speakers at a Thai anti-government protest demanded reforms to the monarchy of King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Monday, calling for its powers to be curbed in unusually frank public comments.
A pro-democracy protester wearing a face mask with a message that reads "Lese majeste, section 112" flashes a three-fingers salute during a Harry Potter-themed protest demanding the resignation of Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha in Bangkok, Thailand, August 3, 2020. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

Defaming the monarchy is punishable by up to 15 years in prison under Thailand’s ‘lese majeste’ laws. Police did not stop the six speakers, but said that any suspected offences would be investigated.

Many of the 200 protesters were dressed like the fictional wizard Harry Potter and other characters in what they said was a reference to vanquishing injustices under the military-backed government.

Lawyer Anon Nampa, 34, accused the palace of taking on increasing powers that undermined democracy and of inaction in the face of attacks on opponents of the government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a former junta leader.

After the king took the throne in 2016, the palace required revisions to a new constitution that gave him greater emergency powers. He has since taken personal control over some army units and palace assets worth tens of billions of dollars.

Meanwhile, some Thai activists complain of harassment by authorities, saying that at least nine opposition figures living abroad have disappeared. Two were later found dead. Reuters has not independently confirmed what happened to these opposition figures.

“Talking about this is not an act to topple the monarchy, but to allow the monarchy to exist in Thai society in the right way and legitimately under a democratic and a constitutional monarchy,” Anon told the group of around 200 at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument.

Two student groups then read out demands that started with: “Cancelling and reforming the laws that expand the power of the monarch and that could impinge on democracy where the king is the head of state.”

The Royal Palace did not answer phone calls on Monday seeking comment on the criticism.

Deputy government spokeswoman Ratchada Thanadirek said it was up to police whether to act against the protesters

“The government wants the young protesters to observe the laws so that they can continue to exercise their rights to make their demands and the country can stay peaceful,” she said.

The students from Mahanakorn and Kaset universities also called on the authorities to listen to the protesters and to reform the ‘lese majeste’ laws that ban criticism of the monarchy.

Student protests to demand the resignation of Prayuth’s government and a new constitution now happen almost daily. While some placards have made veiled criticism of the monarchy, this is the first time it has been open.
Slideshow (4 Images)

Police officer Surapong Thammapitak said: “We cannot yet determine what offences have been committed ... Any offences under any laws will be processed for the investigators.”

Prayuth said in a speech in June that there have been no prosecutions under the ‘lese majeste’ laws recently, at the king’s request, but warned against criticising the monarchy.

Criticism was exceedingly rare under the king’s father, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, whose 70 year reign ended with his death in 2016.

“Such open criticism of Thailand’s monarch by non-elites at a public place within Thailand — with the police simply standing by — is the first of its kind in Thai history,” said Paul Chambers, who teaches international affairs at Thailand’s Naresuan University.

The spirit of the HK protest movement lives on in Thailand. It's only a matter of time before the protesters have their way. Freedom of expression is absolute and anything less is a mockery of such. The King of Thailand deserves all the "uncivil language" that's headed his way. Nobody gets to tell anybody what they can or can't say.

(TIL that bashing authoritarian governments and tyrannical public figures on NS is now considered "trolling" if the language used is "uncivil" even if the people who practice and defend authoritarianism clearly deserve to be on the receiving end of "uncivil" language for attempting to silence their critics via doxxing, harassment, intimidation, cancellation, legal action or violence. So I won't be repeating what I said about the King of Thailand in earlier posts just to err on the side of caution and because I don't want to lose a nation.)

[Twicetagram and JYPe]

Talking about Thai monarchies...
I remembered this time where this Thai queen drowned on a sinking thing because no one dared to save here -- it was punishable by death if you touched a monarch.