HEADLINE-ASEANEWS | THAILAND: Thai ‘Red Shirt’ dissident detained upon return from exile
CAMBODIA: Pressure mounts on Cambodia to waive travel visa fee
Manoj Mathew / Khmer Times
Pressure is mounting on Cambodia to allow visa-free travel for those from non-Asean countries with neighbouring Thailand showing the way and reaping the benefits from the rising numbers of tourist footfalls.
While talking to Khmer Times, yesterday, Thourn Sinan, Cambodia Chapter Chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), strongly argued for removing the $30 fee for tourist visas.
Cambodia imposes this entry fee on almost all international tourist arrivals, with exemptions given only to those from neighbouring countries.
“Removing this fee could potentially make Cambodia a more attractive destination for tourists, as it would lower the cost barrier for entry. Neighbouring Thailand has already made efforts to promote tourism by offering visa waivers or fee exemptions for visitors from many countries,” he said.
This is more so for bringing back the Chinese tourists who constituted the largest category of visitors to Cambodia in the pre-Covid days. For the last three years, this has changed with visitors from Vietnam and Thailand outnumbering Chinese visitors in Cambodia.
Memento Maxima Digital MarketingMYANMAR: Myanmar’s military makes its annual parade
Myanmar military officers march during a parade to commemorate Myanmar’s 79th Armed Forces Day, in Naypyitaw, Myanmar. PHOTO: AP
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BANGKOK (AP) – The head of Myanmar’s ruling military council Senior General Min Aung Hlaing marked Armed Forces Day on Wednesday with a speech claiming that the nation’s youth were being tricked into supporting the resistance against army rule, and that ethnic armed groups allied with the resistance engage in drug trafficking, natural resources smuggling and illegal gambling.
Many Western nations have applied sanctions against Myanmar’s ruling generals because of their 2021 seizure of power and brutal suppression of opposition. Military offensives since then have displaced more than two million people, according to the United Nations.
The army in 2021 overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, whom it accused of winning the 2020 election through massive voter fraud, presenting what it said was evidence disputed by independent poll watching groups.
The military’s suppression of protests against its takeover triggered nationwide armed resistance. Thousands of young people fled to jungles and mountains in remote border areas and made common cause with ethnic guerrilla forces battle-hardened by decades of combat with the army in pursuit of autonomy.
Over the past five months, the army has been routed in northern Shan state, is conceding swathes of territory in Rakhine state in the west and is under growing attack in other regions. As losses have risen and morale has plummeted, authorities activated a conscription law in a bid to strengthen their position.
The parade marking this year’s 79th Armed Forces Day was held in the sunset hours for the first time since Naypyitaw became the capital in 2006. Previously, it was held at sunrise. Major General Zaw Min Tun, spokesperson for the ruling military council, explained that the change was due to the unusually hot weather caused by the El Nino phenomenon.
Armed Forces Day marks the day in 1945 when the army of Myanmar, then known as Burma, began its fight against occupying Japanese forces who had taken over after driving out the British.
Statements by the British and Canadian embassies marking Armed Forces Day, noted that civilians across the country are being targeted in attacks by the military that include airstrikes on homes, schools, health care facilities and places of worship.
SINGAPORE: Singer Bruno Mars to host Singapore tour afterparty at Marquee on April 6
SINGAPORE – American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars will cap off his upcoming Singapore shows by giving fans an opportunity to party with him up close.
The 38-year-old, who will take the stage at the National Stadium on April 3, 5 and 6, is set to make a special appearance at Marina Bay Sands’ Marquee Singapore club on April 6. He will host the official afterparty for his sold-out Bruno Mars Live in Singapore concert tour.
Tickets priced from $100 are now available on Marquee Singapore’s website (marqueesingapore.com/calendar). Guests must be 18 years old and above to enter.
Mars has been a dominant force in the music industry with a string of chart-toppers, including Just The Way You Are (2010), Locked Out Of Heaven (2012), Uptown Funk (2014) and That’s What I Like (2016).
The 15-time Grammy-winning musician is best known for his retro-pop hits that effortlessly blend pop, R&B, reggae, funk and soul. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artistes of all time.
He is the first artiste in the United States to receive six Diamond-certified songs, and was named one of Billboard’s Greatest of All Time Artistes in 2019.
Book it/Marquee presents Odyssey: Bruno Mars Official After Party
Where: Marquee Singapore, Marina Bay Sands, 2 Bayfront Avenue
When: April 6, from 10pm
Admission: For online tickets, general admission is $100 (inclusive of one drink voucher) and expedited entry is $300 (inclusive of two drink vouchers). For tickets purchased at the door, general admission is $150 (inclusive of one drink voucher) and expedited entry is $300 (inclusive of one drink voucher). For more information, go to marqueesingapore.com/calendar
THAILAND: Thai ‘Red Shirt’ dissident detained upon return from exile
BANGKOK (AFP) – A prominent Thai “Red Shirt” dissident returned to the kingdom yesterday after 15 years of self-imposed exile and was immediately detained by police, his lawyer said.
Jakrapob Penkair was a government spokesman for former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, and then a prominent member of the “Red Shirt” movement that supported him after he was ousted by a military coup in 2006.
Facing multiple charges including owning illegal weapons and violating the kingdom’s strict royal defamation laws, Jakrapob fled Thailand in 2009 to live in self-imposed exile.
He landed at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport yesterday morning and was immediately held by police.
“He will enter the legal process, and we will see what we can do,” his lawyer Chokchai Angkaew told reporters.
Before flying back to the kingdom, Jakrapob posted a video of himself speaking to fans.
“I’ve been away for 15 years, now I’m going back to Thailand… and I hope to fight all legal challenges,” he said.
“I hope I can give back to the kingdom.”
His return came several months after billionaire ex-premier Thaksin returned home after over a decade and a half in exile.
Thaksin was immediately jailed on old graft and abuse of power charges, but his eight-year jail sentence was soon cut to one by King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
Last month, the 74-year-old was granted early release because of his age and poor health, and is now living in his Bangkok home.
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