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In today's bulletin: Monarchy reform protests over the weekend put Thailand in uncharted waters, the Chinese air force releases a video that appears to show a simulated attack on a US air base in Guam as regional tensions continue to rise, Myanmar's Yangon is locked down as Covid-19 cases in the country soar ahead of elections in November, and more.
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MONARCHY REFORM PROTESTS PUT THAILAND IN UNCHARTED WATERS
Protests over the weekend in the Thai capital Bangkok calling for reforms to the monarchy have put Thailand in new, uncharted territory, writes Indo-China bureau chief Tan Hui Yee.
On Saturday, and then again on Sunday, thousands of protesters, led by university students, occupied a field next to the Grand Palace, normally fenced off for royal events, calling it the "people's field".
Among the protesters' demands for change are reduction of the budget for royal expenses and that the monarchy not be excessively glorified. The topic of monarchy reform remains unthinkable in Thailand where the lese majeste law hangs over anyone who dares to criticise the royalty openly, although it has not been used recently. It remains to be seen if the protesters' demands will resonate with the larger Thai society.
See also:
Thai anti-government protest: Key players behind massive rally at highly symbolic venue in Bangkok
CHINESE MILITARY VIDEO SHOWS APPARENT SIMULATED ATTACK ON A US AIR BASE
China's air force has released a video showing nuclear-capable H-6 bombers carrying out a simulated attack on what appears to be Andersen Air Force Base on the US Pacific island of Guam, as regional tensions continue to rise.
The video, released on Saturday (Sept 19) on the People's Liberation Army Air Force Weibo account, came as China carried out a second day of drills near Chinese-claimed Taiwan, to express Beijing's anger at the visit of a senior US State Department official to Taipei.
Guam is home to major US military facilities, including the air base, which would be key to responding to any conflict in the Asia Pacific region.
Read also:
Taiwan military says it has right to counter attack amid China threats
China to lose access to Australian space tracking station
MYANMAR'S YANGON LOCKED DOWN AS COVID-19 CASES SOAR AHEAD OF ELECTIONS
Myanmar locked down most of Yangon province, home to its largest city, for two weeks to contain a record surge in coronavirus infections ahead of the general elections scheduled for November 8.
The strict stay-at-home order from Monday (Sept 21) bars more than one member of a family venturing out for shopping and curbs travel from Yangon township to other cities except for essential work, according to guidelines issued on Sunday by the nation's Central Committee on Covid-19 Control. Essential services such as banking, healthcare, fuel stations and food outlets will be allowed to operate as usual, it said.
New cases jumped by 671 on Sunday, a single-day record for Myanmar since the nation of 54 million people first reported the virus outbreak in late March, official data showed. The death toll rose by 11, taking the total to 94. There were a total of 5,805 cases as of Monday morning.
Some political parties have called for elections to be postponed but the ruling National League for Democracy favours going to vote on schedule.
Read also:
South Korea reports first suspected reinfection with Covid-19
Transplant organs in short supply in India
New Zealand eases virus controls, eyes elimination
SOUTH-EAST ASIAN VIEWERS SPOILT FOR CHOICE AMID FLOOD OF VIDEO-ON-DEMAND SERVICES
There's never been a better time to be a couch potato in South-east Asia, writes regional correspondent Jeffrey Hutton. The region is being flooded by video-on-demand streaming services - whether home-grown or imported from the United States or China. And they come with steep discounts and local content to coax tens of millions of consumers away from free platforms like YouTube and into paying for a subscription.
In Indonesia, entertainment giant Disney earlier this month introduced its Disney+ Hotstar subscription service, unleashing its catalogue of princesses, superheroes and the Star Wars franchise on the 60 million or so citizens with disposable income and Internet-ready mobile phones.
Analysts point to mobile subscriptions for less than $20 a year, ubiquitous smartphones and a captive audience quarantined at home by the Covid-19 outbreak as laying the groundwork for rapid growth in the video-on-demand segment. South-east Asia's market for streaming will be worth US$1.4 billion (S$1.9 billion) by the end of the year, and will more than double to US$3.6 billion by 2025, helped by ballooning demand, according to consultancy Media Partners Asia.
See also:
Streaming battle in South-east Asia: Who's watching what
Local content is king for South-east Asia's video-on-demand scene
Malaysia's home-grown Nurflix hopes to tap Muslim market
KL COURT ALLOWS CHALLENGE TO ANWAR'S 2018 ROYAL PARDON
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and the Federal Territories Pardons Board have failed to strike out a lawsuit filed by a lawyer to challenge the legality of the royal pardon Datuk Seri Anwar received two years ago.
High Court judge Akhtar Tahir made the decision on Monday (Sept 21) after finding that Mr Mohd Khairul Azam Abdul Aziz has locus standi, or the right, as a member of the public and a lawyer to file the originating summons.
In May 2018, shortly after a general election won by a coalition led by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the Malaysian King granted Mr Anwar a full pardon after he had served three years of a five-year jail term for sodomy. The move paved the way for Mr Anwar to succeed Dr Mahathir as Prime Minister, as was agreed by the two politicians when they forged the Pakatan Harapan coalition. In the event, the Pakatan Harapan was toppled earlier this year, ending Mr Anwar's ambition to be prime minister for now. His woes continue with this court decision to allow the lawsuit.
IN OTHER NEWS
MALAYSIAN ACTIVIST FIGHTS FOR HIJAB FREEDOM: Ms Maryam Lee was harassed and placed under investigation by the religious authorities after she spoke out about her decision to stop wearing the hijab and criticised what she saw as institutional patriarchy in Islam, in her book Unveiling Choice.
AUSTRALIA'S 'KOALA WAR' AND CLIMATE CHANGE: A bitter feud in the Australian state of New South Wales over the safeguarding of koala habitats highlights a split in the government over the level of protection that should be given to the environment.
That's it for today, we will be back tomorrow.
Sui Noi
