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Dozens of leading Hong Kong democrats brace for national security charges to be laid

HONG KONG – Several dozen Hong Kong democrats are due to report to local police stations across the city on Sunday, with some expecting to be charged with breaches of national security as a crackdown on the democratic opposition intensifies.

Benny Tai, one of the organisers of an unofficial primary election last summer, said in an online post that there was a chance he would be “formally charged”.

Tai was arrested in a dawn raid along with more than 50 other democrats on Jan. 6 in the largest national security operation since the law’s passage last June.

They were accused of organising and participating in an unofficial “primary election” last July aimed at selecting the strongest candidates for a legislative council election.

The democrats were detained at the time, questioned, and some had their mobile phones and computers confiscated, but released pending further investigations.

“My chance of bail won’t be too great,” wrote Tai, who has been accused by Chinese authorities of being a key tactician for the pro-democracy movement in the former British colony.

Those also called in by Hong Kong police include John Clancey, a U.S. citizen and human rights lawyer, as well as a group of younger “resistance camp” democratic activists including Lester Shum, Sam Cheung, Ventus Lau and Fergus Leung.

The democrats denounced the arrests as political persecution for the informal, peaceful poll that drew 600,000 votes in a city of 7.5 million.

A rights advocacy group, “Power for Democracy”, that co-organised the primary elections, said in a Facebook post on Friday that it had disbanded.

When contacted by Reuters, a local police spokeswoman would not immediately say whether the democracy advocates would be charged with breaching the national security law.

The Hong Kong police say 99 individuals have been arrested for suspected violations of the security laws so far.

Some of these have been denied bail, including media mogul and prominent China critic Jimmy Lai, despite protracted legal appeals.

The sweeping national security laws — seen by critics as a threat to Hong Kong’s freedoms and autonomy — punish acts of subversion, secession, collusion with foreign forces and terrorism with possible life imprisonment. – Reuters

Thailand starts COVID-19 vaccination campaign

BANGKOK – Thailand kicked off its COVID-19 inoculation campaign on Sunday, with cabinet ministers, health officials and medical professionals among the first in the queue to receive vaccinations.

The first doses of vaccine, developed by China’s Sinovac Biotech, were given to Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who is also the health minister, among others at an infectious diseases institute on the outskirts of Bangkok.

“I hope that the vaccination will result in people being safe from the spread of COVID-19 and it allows Thailand to return to normalcy as soon as possible,” Anutin told reporters afterwards.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, 66, attended the event, although his age falls outside the range of 18 to 59 suitable to receive SinoVac’s CoronaVac vaccine, so he did not get it.

Thailand received its first 200,000 doses of the Sinovac vaccine from China and 117,00 imported doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine this week.

CoronaVac has been distributed to 13 high-risk provinces, which will start injecting front-line health professionals and volunteers on Sunday, the health ministry has said.

AstraZeneca’s vaccine will be ready for use by the second week of March, after going through quality control tests, the company said in a statement.

Thailand is expected to take delivery of a further 1.8 million doses of CoronaVac in March and April.

A mass campaign to administer 10 million doses a month is set to begin in June, with 61 million shots of AstraZeneca vaccines produced by local firm Siam Bioscience.

With a tally of just over 25,000 infections, Thailand has escaped the kind of fallout suffered by some other countries since the pandemic began last year. – Reuters

Myanmar police crack down on protests for second day

Myanmar police threw stun grenades and fired into the air on Sunday to disperse opponents of military rule, sustaining a sweeping crackdown launched the previous day when security forces arrested hundreds in town and cites across the country.

The action to stamp out the protests came after state television announced that Myanmar’s U.N. envoy had been fired for betraying the country after he urged the United Nations to use “any means necessary” to reverse the Feb. 1 coup that ousted elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Myanmar was thrown into chaos when the army seized power and detained Suu Kyi and much of her party leadership, alleging fraud in a November election her party won in a landslide.

The coup, which stalled Myanmar’s progress toward democracy after nearly 50 years of military rule, has brought hundreds of thousands of protesters onto the streets and drawn condemnation from Western countries, with some imposing limited sanctions.

Police were out on the streets in force again at a main protest site in the city of Yangon early on Sunday as hundreds of protesters, many clad in protective gear, began to congregate, a witness said.

Police moved swiftly to break up groups.

“Police threw stun grenades at us,” said protester Myint Myat, 29.

“We had to run and hide but I’ll get out again because today is very important. If all of us get out, they can’t win.”

Police in the second city of Mandalay fired guns into the air, trapping protesting medical staff in a city hospital, a doctor there said by telephone.

Police and the spokesman for the ruling military council were not available for comment.

Saturday brought disturbances in towns and cities across the country as police moved forcefully to crush the protests, firing tear gas, setting off stun grenades and shooting into the air.

Uniformed police and plain-clothes security men set upon some people with clubs, witnesses said.

One woman was shot and wounded in the central town of Monwya, 7Day News and an emergency worker said. 7Day and two other media organisations had earlier reported that she was killed.

Junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing has said authorities have been using minimal force. Nevertheless, at least three protesters have died over the days of turmoil. The army said a policeman has been killed in the unrest.

State-run MRTV television said more than 470 people had been arrested in all. It said police had given warnings before using stun grenades to disperse people.

Several journalists were among those detained, their media organisations and colleagues said.

 

‘INSTIL FEAR’

Youth activist Esther Ze Naw said people were battling to overcome the fear of the military they had lived with for so long.

“This fear will only grow if we keep living with it and the people who are creating the fear know that. It’s obvious they’re trying to instil fear in us by making us run and hide,” she said.

“We can’t accept that.”

Saturday’s violence came after Myanmar’s Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun told the U.N. General Assembly he was speaking on behalf of Suu Kyi’s government and appealed for help to end the coup.

MRTV television said he had been fired in accordance with civil service rules because he had “betrayed the country” and “abused the power and responsibilities of an ambassador”.

However, the United Nations has not officially recognised the junta as Myanmar’s new government.

The ambassador vowed to fight on.

“I decided to fight back as long as I can,” Kyaw Moe Tun told Reuters in New York.

U.N. Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews said he was overwhelmed by the ambassador’s “act of courage”, adding on Twitter, “It’s time for the world to answer that courageous call with action”.

Myanmar’s generals have traditionally shrugged off diplomatic pressure. They have promised to hold a new election but not set a date.

Suu Kyi’s party and supporters said the result of the November vote must be respected.

Suu Kyi, 75, spent nearly 15 years under house arrest during military rule. She faces charges of illegally importing six walkie-talkie radios and of violating a natural disaster law by breaching coronavirus protocols.

The next hearing in her case is set for Monday. – Reuters

Metro Manila kept under general lockdown

Manila and nearby cities will remain under a general lockdown next month amid a coronavirus pandemic, according to the presidential palace.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte also kept nine other areas — Apayao, Baguio City, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Batangas, Davao City, Tacloban City, Iligan City,  and Lanao del Sur — under a general community quarantine, his spokesman Harry L. Roque, Jr. told a televised news briefing on Saturday.

The rest of the country will remain under modified general lockdown, he added. Mr. Duterte earlier rejected a proposal from his economic planners to put the entire country under the most relaxed quarantine, citing the risk of a more contagious coronavirus variant.

The National Economic and Development Authority had pushed for the reopening of the economy to curb joblessness and hunger.

Meanwhile, an inter-agency task force also approved uniform travel protocols for local governments, Mr. Roque said.

Travelers would no longer be required to undergo swabbing unless ordered by a local government of destination, he said. Travelers must also not have coronavirus symptoms.

Travel authority as well as health certificates would no longer be required under the new protocols, Mr. Roque said.

“Authorities shall continue to strictly implement minimum public health standards, such as physical distancing, hand hygiene, cough etiquette and wearing of face masks and face shields across all settings,” Mr. Roque said. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Duterte signs bill creating coco levy trust fund

President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Friday night signed a measure creating a levy trust fund for coconut farmers, according to the presidential palace.

Republic Act 115421 or the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund Act seeks to declare coconut levy assets as a trust fund to rehabilitate and modernize the country’s coconut industry.

The measure lets poor coconut farmers benefit from taxes collected from them decades ago, now worth about P76 billion.

Under the law, the use of the trust fund will be based on a development plan prepared by the Philippine Coconut Authority, which must consult coconut farmers and their organizations, industry associations, civil society groups and government agencies about the use of the money.

The Treasury bureau must transfer P10 billion to the trust fund in the first year, P10 billion in the second year, P15 billion in the third year, P15 billion in the fourth year and P25 billion in the fifth year. The trust fund will be maintained for 50 years.

An initial P5 billion will be made available for various  programs such as planting and replanting of hybrid coconut seedlings and training of coconut farmers, among other things.

The law is expected to benefit about 3.5 million coconut farmers from 68 coconut-producing provinces who own not more than five hectares of farmland.

During his campaign in 2016, Mr. Duterte promised coconut farmers that he would return the coco levy fund in his first 100 days in office.

The late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos allegedly conspired with his cronies to tax coconut farmers, promising them the development of the coconut industry and a share of the investments.

But the money was allegedly used for personal gain particularly in the purchase of United Coconut Planters Bank and San Miguel Corp. shares.

Mr. Duterte vetoed a similar bill in 2019, saying its inadequate safeguards could benefit wealthy coconut farm owners. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

No work, no pay on Nov. 2, Dec. 24 and 31

President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Friday signed a proclamation declaring fewer nonworking days this year supposedly to boost the economy amid a coronavirus pandemic.

Under the order, November 2 (All Souls’ Day), December 24 (Christmas Eve) and December 31 (New Year’s Eve), which had been special holidays, will be special working days.

“For the country to recover from the adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a need to encourage economic productivity by, among others, minimizing work disruption and commemorating some special holidays as special (working) days instead,” according to the order.

If an employee went to work on a special nonworking holiday, the “no work, no pay” principle applies unless there is a company policy or collective bargaining agreement granting payment on a special day, according to a 2019 labor advisory.

“The President by presidential proclamation cannot change the status of the last day of the year — as defined by a statute, Republic Act 9492 — from national special holiday into a special working day,” Terry L. Ridon, a lawyer and convenor of infrastructure think tank InfraWatchPH, said in a Facebook messenger chat on Friday night.

RA 9492 or holiday economics law signed by former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2007 sought to rationalize the celebration of national holidays in the Philippines by making most holidays “movable” to Mondays.

The law also declared certain dates as regular holidays.

For minimum wage earners in the National Capital Region, the order amounts to a pay cut on Dec. 31 of about P161, he said.

“Inclusive of the two other special working days, the pay cut amounts to about P483, equivalent to 99% of NCR’s minimum wage,” he added.

Mr. Ridon said the palace should clarify whether the amendment “was done to skirt the payment of the special holiday pay premium.”

“Only special nonworking holidays are entitled to this premium,” he said. “So the question is will employees going to work on these three special working holidays be afforded the same premium?”

Philippines to use Sinovac vaccine on health workers

An inter-agency task force has approved a plan to inoculate FIlipino health workers against the coronavirus using vaccines from Chinese drugmaker Sinovac BIotech Ltd., according to health authorities.

This was upon the recommendation of an advisory group from the Department of Health (DoH), Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire told an online news briefing on Friday. Experts agreed the vaccine would benefit health workers.

It would still need approval from President Rodrigo R. Duterte, she said.

Sinovac’s vaccine is 50% effective in preventing mild symptoms and 100% effective for patients with moderate to severe symptoms, reducing severe cases and deaths, Ms. Vergeire said, citing clinical data.

Marissa Alejandria, a member of the advisory group, said they found no safety issues.

Vaccination with the Sinovac drug is not mandatory and healthcare workers will decide whether to accept it, Ms. Vergeire said.

The local Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week approved Sinovac’s vaccine for emergency use, the third drug after vaccines from Pfizer, Inc. and AstraZeneca Plc.

FDA Director-General Rolando Enrique F. Domingo said the vaccine was not recommended for health workers with coronavirus exposures, based on trials in Turkey, because it’s only 50.4% effective for their class.

The government is expected to take delivery of 600,000 Sinovac vaccine doses donated by China next week.

“The Inter-Agency Task Force’s approval of the recommendation of the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group and the Department of Health’s Technical Advisory Group is an assurance that the use of Sinovac is safe and beneficial to our healthcare workers,” presidential spokesman Harry L. Roque, Jr. said in a statement.

DoH reported 2,651 coronavirus infections on Friday, bringing the total to 571,327. The death toll rose by 46 to 12,247, while recoveries increased by 561 to 524,582, it said in a bulletin.

There were 34,498 active cases, 88.4% of which were mild, 6.4% did not show symptoms, 2.3% were critical, 2.1% were severe and 0.74% were moderate.

The agency said four duplicates had been removed from the tally, while 20 recovered cases were reclassified as deaths. Eight laboratories failed to submit their data on Feb. 25.

Around 8.2 million Filipinos have been tested for the coronavirus as of Feb. 24, according to DoH’s tracker website.

The coronavirus has sickened about 113.6 million and killed more than 2.5 million people worldwide, according to the Worldometers website, citing various sources including data from the World Health Organization.

About 89.1 million people have recovered, it said.

Duterte signs bill to speed up vaccine orders

Philippine President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Friday night signed a measure that will fast-track coronavirus vaccine orders.

“We are confident that the signing of this landmark piece of legislation would expedite the procurement and administration of vaccines for the protection against COVID-19,” presidential spokesman Harry L. Roque, Jr. said in a statement.

Congressmen on Tuesday adopted the Senate version of the bill, which allows local governments to make advance payments for vaccines and other supplies for up to 50% of their target population.

The orders must be made with the Health department and National Task Force Against COVID-19.

Mr. Duterte certified the bill as urgent days after a Senate committee endorsed it in plenary.

The COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act, advance payments must not exceed 15% of the contract price pending delivery “unless otherwise directed by the President.”

Private entities may order coronavirus vaccines in cooperation with DOH and the national task force.

The law also creates a P500-million indemnification fund that will be used to pay patients who may get sick from vaccines. The fund will be managed by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.

Vaccine czar Carlito G. Galvez, Jr. earlier said the lack of an indemnification plan had delayed the delivery of the first batch of vaccines under a global initiative for equal access. Foreign drugmakers were worried about getting sued in case of side effects.

The law protects public officials and employees, contractors, manufacturers, volunteers and representatives of private entities from lawsuits related to coronavirus vaccines unless there is willful misconduct and gross negligence. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Philippine military sets vaccination target

The Philippine military is targeting to vaccinate 100 soldiers against the coronavirus daily once the first batch of vaccines from China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd. arrive, a military official said on Friday.

Armed Forces of the Philippines personnel must get vaccinated, but they can choose a different brand at their own expense, spokesman Major General Edgard A. Arevalo told a televised news briefing on Friday. Soldiers would be tapped to distribute vaccines nationwide, he added.

China’s donation of 600,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines are expected to arrive next week. Of the initial batch, 100,000 doses were donated to the Philippine military. The rest will be used to inoculate other priority sectors such as medical frontliners.

Sinovac’s CoronaVac is one of the frontrunners in the vaccine race, along with the shots developed by British drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc, Russia’s Gameleya National Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology and America’s Pfizer Inc., Moderna Inc. and Johnson & Johnson.

Those who refuse to be vaccinated will be “dealt with disciplinary actions,” Mr. Arevalo said. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Duterte orders probe of police shootout

President Rodrigo R. Duterte has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to investigate a shootout between police and agents of his anti-drug agency where four law enforcers were killed.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) would no longer conduct their own probes of the botched drug buy bust operation to ensure impartiality, presidential spokesman Harry L. Roque, Jr. told a televised news briefing on Friday.

Major General Vicente D. Danao, Jr, the capital region’s police chief, earlier said “sell bust” or the illegal practice of selling drugs to catch buyers could have caused the bungled operation near a mall along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City on Wednesday night.

It is the legal mandate of the NBI to investigate where men in uniform are involved to ensure accountability, Mr. Roque said.

Mr. Duterte recently named PDEA officials allegedly involved in drug trafficking and other anomalies.
Meanwhile, the PNP is evaluating the findings of a Justice department probe of the institution’s enforcement of Mr. Duterte’s deadly war on drugs.

“They are currently evaluating our findings and recommendations and will come out with their report in the first week of March, Justice Undersecretary Adrian Ferdinand S. Sugay told reporters in a Viber group message on Friday.

The Justice review panel was still discussing the filing of cases against policemen who violated rules of engagement in anti-illegal drug operations, he added.

The Justice department will continue to review police cases where people got killed, Mr. Sugay said.

More than half of thousands of police anti-drug operations violated rules of engagement, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra told the United Nations Human Rights Council on Wednesday.

Police claimed suspected drug pushers were killed after they resisted arrest, he said in a video message at the seventh meeting of the council’s 46th regular session.

But no full examination of the recovered weapons had been conducted, he said, citing the initial results of a government investigation. Ownership was never undertaken and ballistic exams and paraffin tests were never pursued, he added. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza and Bianca Angelica D. Añago

Filipinos in US warned vs attacks

The Philippine Embassy in the US has warned Filipinos there to remain cautious after recent attacks against Asian Americans.

“Filipinos are advised to exercise utmost caution in view of these incidents,” it said in an advisory.

It said it appreciates the swift action taken by US authorities to apprehend the perpetrators. “However, we call on federal, state and local authorities to further ensure the protection of persons of Asian descent, including Filipinos,” the embassy said.

Those who experienced attacks were advised to immediately call the 911 emergency hotline.

Early this month, a 61 year-old Filipino was slashed in the face in a New York subway while he was on his way to work.

There were also attacks in Oakland in California, according to a Reuters report. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Listen to people on VFA, Duterte told

President Rodrigo R. Duterte should listen to the people to help him decide whether to end a military deal with the United States on the deployment of troops for war games, according to a senator.

“Nobody has the monopoly of wisdom regardless of power and authority,” Senator Panfilo M. Lacson said in a statement on Friday.

“The best decisions are those made not out of hubris, but the humility of listening to as many people and trying to get a bit of what they have to say,” he added.

Mr. Duterte in a pre-recorded public address on Wednesday said he had not decided on whether the Philippines would end or renew a two-decade-old visiting forces agreement (VFA) with the US.

Mr. Duterte in February said he was ending the VFA after the US Embassy canceled the visa of Senator Ronald M. dela Rosa, his former police chief who led his deadly war on drugs.

He suspended the termination for six months in June, citing heightened tensions in the region and saying it was a distraction to countries’ anti-coronavirus efforts. It was suspended again for another six months.

“The decision is his to make anyway. There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain in listening to others,” Mr. Lacson said. “What matters most is that our national interest, dignity and self-respect will be upheld.”

Meanwhile, House Deputy Speaker Rufus B. Rodriguez urged Mr. Duterte to keep the deal with the US.

“The President wants to feel the public pulse on the VFA,” he said in a statement. “I think most Filipinos not only support the agreement but want the government to strengthen Philippine-US relations.” — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

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