Politics
Russian President Vladimir Putin Accepts Invitation to Visit Thailand
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on social media that Russian President Vladimir Putin has accepted an offer to visit Thailand. This news comes just one day after Thailand announced a two-month extension of the visa-free stay period for Russian tourists.
After meeting with Putin in Beijing, Thailand’s new prime minister made the statement on Tuesday, inviting the Russian leader who is wanted for international arrest for alleged war crimes related to his conduct of the war in Ukraine.
“I encouraged [Putin] to visit Thailand, and he nodded appreciatively, saying ‘Thank you’ in Thai. Srettha wrote on X (previously Twitter) that this demonstrates the man’s “good familiarity with our country.” He mentioned that Putin had travelled to Phuket, Thailand multiple times.
At the Third Belt and Road Forum, which China is hosting, the two heads of state met.
The link between Thailand and Russia, he said, goes back 125 years. Both commercial and cultural interactions have occurred. Srettha claims that over a million Russians have visited Thailand.
90-day visa exemption for Russians
On Monday, the Thai cabinet adopted a plan to extend the 30-day visa exemption for Russians visiting the country to a maximum of 90 days. The Thai prime minister argued that Putin’s approval of the extension would be beneficial to his country’s economy.
Putin’s office made a statement that touched on the possibility of expanded trade between the two countries.
Putin stated in the statement, “I hope our joint trade commissions and economic collaborations will play a role in stimulating the economic interactions between us.” “On our end, we will do everything in our power to strengthen our ties and promote the growth of both our countries and our people.”
Professor Piyapong Pimpalak from Chiang Mai University’s Social Research Institute commented that the Srettha government was trying to avoid alienating any powerful interests.
Professor Piyapong Pimpalak from Chiang Mai University’s Social Research Institute commented that the Srettha government was trying to avoid alienating any powerful interests.
He praised Thailand for its efforts to improve its diplomatic ties with other countries by sending representatives to international conventions. Some people worry that Thailand will look like it is backing Russia’s war in Ukraine, so it’s important to tread carefully in certain respects.
Thailand Neutral Over Ukraine
The Southeast Asian country voted inconsistently at the United Nations in regards to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and it has sought to maintain a neutral stance in the Russia-Ukraine war.
In October 2022, Thailand did not vote for or against a resolution urging nations to reject Moscow’s annexation of Ukrainian territory.
In March 2022, it backed a resolution that called on Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine. A month later, when it came time to vote on whether or not to suspend Russia from the United Nations Human Rights Council, Thailand and the majority of members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations abstained.
The International Criminal Court in The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Putin for his alleged complicity in crimes against Ukrainian children, but Thailand is not a member to the Rome Statute.
Prior to this, Putin had cancelled his trip to South Africa to attend a key global conference because the country hosting the summit had signed the statute and would be required to carry it out.
Additionally, Thailand and the United States are in a treaty-bound security partnership that dates back to 1833.
Piyapong said that the public has a mixed opinion of Prime Minister Srettha’s “salesman approach” to luring foreign investment and fortifying economic connections.
“Some critics call it undignified or desperate, but others argue that it is a necessary step for Thailand to remain competitive in the global economy,” he explained.
On Thursday, Srettha will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. To celebrate the BRI’s 10-year anniversary, Beijing is organising this summit, which Xi is hosting.
He also spoke with scores of business leaders, including the CEOs of Alibaba and Huawei, two of China’s most prominent tech companies.
Putin’s potential visit to Thailand under Srettha’s invitation was not immediately known.
Thailand’s Ties with Russia
Since Thailand and Russia established diplomatic relations approximately 128 years ago, the bilateral relationship has deteriorated significantly, failing to match China’s economic vitality.
In recent decades, Bangkok, nevertheless, has taken great caution not to upset Russia. During the reign of Czar Nicholas II, Siam safeguarded its territory against French and British encroachment by leveraging Russia’s influence in Europe.
Such is the enduring Thai recollection of the Thailand-Russia relationship at large. The country’s vote on the three resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly concerning the Ukraine crisis revealed, in all honesty, Bangkok’s degree of ties with Russia.
On the contrary, diplomatic relations between China and Thailand flourished after their establishment in 1975.
Initial challenges arose from the political unrest in Thailand, prompting a migration of youthful students seeking refuge in China. After the 1980s, however, the situation improved and has since flourished.
Thais realised a few years after the commencement of China’s four modernization in 1984 that the two communist powers had distinct approaches, ideologies, and behaviours. China appears more pragmatic and amenable to the formation of partnerships.
Thailand was a pioneering nation among foreign investors who placed their bets on the future development of China. The volume of Sino-Thai commerce is currently approximately one hundred times that of Thai trade with Russia.
The waning of the negative perception of the Soviet Union stemmed from its previous relations with the Indochinese states, which subsequently experienced significant transformations, whereas the renewed economic and trade relations led to a diminished association of the alleged Chinese threat with communist insurgencies.
At present, Bangkok and Beijing are coordinating an elaborate celebration to mark the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations in 2025.
Politics
Millennials in Canada Have Turned their Backs on Justin Trudeau
Justine Trudeau and his Liberal Party are currently engaged in a fierce battle for second place against Jagmeet Singh’s socialist NDP, as both parties find themselves trailing by 20 points behind Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives.
A recent poll indicates that 38% of Canadians consider Trudeau to be the most ineffective leader the nation has encountered in over fifty years. An impressive 47% of Canadian Millennials indicated they would support Poilievre if an election were to take place today, while nearly half of all Canadians express a desire for an election to be called this year.
Pierre Poilievre’s strong appeal among young voters can be attributed primarily to economic factors: soaring inflation, a pressing cost-of-living crisis, and the challenge of housing affordability are pushing many away from the Liberals, who have held power for nearly nine years.
According to UnHeard, Millennials are increasingly distancing themselves from Trudeau due to his stringent measures aimed at controlling the internet to combat alleged disinformation, as well as his climate change initiatives, notably the carbon tax.
An increasing number of Canadians are becoming aware of Trudeau’s ineffective policies and his approach to mass immigration. This past summer, there was significant outrage among parents of teenagers and young adults as they observed their children remaining at home without jobs.
The primary concern stemmed from the fact that most low-skilled and entry-level positions were being filled by unskilled, temporary foreign workers, predominantly from India.
There has been a notable rise in criminal activities linked to international students and unvetted temporary residents who are becoming involved with Punjabi gangs in Canada, contributing to a surge in auto thefts nationwide.
Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives are actively seeking to alter Trudeau’s approach to mass immigration and prioritize the construction of more housing should they come into power.
Significantly, Pierre Poilievre is perceived as more trustworthy than Trudeau, with over half of Canadians characterizing Poilievre as “open and honest about his actions, decisions, and intentions,” while only 39% share that sentiment regarding Trudeau.
The characteristics in question may shed light on Poilievre’s favorable polling, particularly among younger voters and women, who have historically leaned towards the Liberals or the NDP rather than the Conservatives.
The Liberal Party’s support has dwindled to an estimated 7% of Canadians, revealing a significant number of disillusioned voters eager for transformation. Poilievre is emerging as the type of leader that resonates with the desires of many Canadians.
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Politics
U.N. Special Rapporteur Calls on Thailand’s Banks to Cut-Off Myanmar Junta
The U.N special rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar has said the Bank of Thailand, commercial banks, and the anti-money laundering office are working on measures to stop the Myanmar Junta from acquiring weapons through Thailand’s banking system.
Tom Andrews the U.N. special rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar, said that some banks commercial in Thailand had aided Myanmar Junta’s by facilitating transactions that supplied military equipment to the Junta through the international banking system.
He called on the Bank of Thailand and financial institutions to do more to stop Myanmar’s junta acquiring weapons which they use on civilians to maintain power.
The special rapporteur was in Bangkok to address a parliamentary committee on security, he called on the Thai government to stop financial transactions that help supply weapons to Myanmar’s junta in line with a plan promoted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that sets out an end to violence as a first step toward peace.
In his 2023 report “The Billion Dollar Death Trade,” Andrews noted that Singapore had implemented a clear policy opposing the transfer of weapons to Myanmar.
Thailand’s Banks Lacked Clear Policy
As a result, exports of weapons and related materials from Singapore-registered entities using the formal banking system dropped from almost U.S. $120 million in fiscal year 2022 to just over $10 million over the next 12 months.
However, he said Thailand had no explicit policy position opposing weapons transfer to the Myanmar Junta, which saw exports from Thai-registered entities more than double in 2023, from just over $60 million to nearly $130 million.
He called on Thai Government to conduct a thorough investigation into transfers as Singapore had done into its companies’ dealings.
Andrews told the the committee that five Thai commercial banks and Thai-based companies were assisting Myanmar’s junta obtain weapons, dual-technology items and jet fuel, enabling Military Junta to conduct atrocities against the people.
But said he had found no evidence that the Thai government was involved or was aware of the transactions or that Thai commercial banks had knowledge.
Banks Condemn Myanmar Junta Violence
Meanwhile representatives from Thailand’s central bank, anti-money laundering office and the commercial banks named in the report were also present at the parliamentary meeting at government house in Bangkok.
A representative of the Bank of Thailand said officials were working with the commercial banks and the anti-money laundering office to make sure that enhanced oversight was properly practiced.
The Thai Bankers Association that was also at the parliamentary meeting said it did not have the means to investigate and monitor such irregularities beyond Thailand’s borders.
Mr. Pongsit Chaichatpornsuk, a Thai Bankers Association representative told the committee that If government security agencies tell us, we will stop transactions. We don’t support arms procurement by Myanmar Junta or any military government to violate human rights.
Thailand, which shares a long border with Myanmar and hosts many thousands of refugees fleeing conflict there, has tried to promote dialogue between Myanmar’s military rulers and opposition forces but no progress has been made.
This Article was first published in RFA
Politics
People Rushing Sign Online Petition to Impeach South Korea’s President Crash Site
The Speaker of the National Assembly of South Korea said in a statement that an online petition calling for South Korea’s President Mr. Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment crashed due to the enormous number of individuals attempting to sign the petition. Saying the National Assembly would resolve the matter as quickly as possible.
Since the petition was launch on the National Assembly’s website on June 20, more than 811,000 people have signed it. The petition urges Parliament to introduce legislation to impeach President Yoon on the grounds that he is unfit for office.
Late on June 30, National Assembly Speaker Mr. Woo Won-shik issued an apology for the disturbance and stated that Parliament would take action to protect the public’s fundamental rights.
People attempting to access the petition on July 1 experienced delays of up to four hours. At one point, an error message indicated that more than 30,000 individuals were waiting to access the site.
South Korea’s Parliament Hesitant
The online petition accuses Yoon of corruption, escalating the risk of conflict with North Korea, and endangering South Koreans’ health by failing to prevent Japan from leaking treated radioactive water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant.
By law, Parliament must assign every petition signed by more than 50,000 people to a committee, which will then decide whether to put it to a vote in the assembly.
However, the opposition Democratic Party, which has a majority in Parliament, is hesitant to turn the petition into an impeachment bill, according to media reports, with a spokesperson stating that the party has yet to address the topic.
The Parliament can impeach a president with a two-thirds majority. The Constitutional Court then deliberates the motion and decides whether to remove or reinstall the president.
Meanwhile, on Monday Reuters reported North Korea criticized a joint military exercise performed this month by South Korea, Japan, and the United States, according to official media, saying such drills demonstrate the three nations’ alliance has evolved into “the Asian version of NATO”.
On Thursday, the three countries began large-scale combined military drills named “Freedom Edge” featuring navy destroyers, fighter fighters, and the nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, with the goal of strengthening defenses against missiles, submarines, and air strikes.
The drill was designed at a three-way meeting at Camp David last year to boost military cooperation amid concerns on the Korean peninsula caused by North Korea’s weapons testing.
Pyongyang will not overlook the strengthening of a military bloc led by the United States and its allies, and it would respond aggressively and decisively to defend regional peace, according to North Korea’s foreign ministry, as reported by KCNA.
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