Asia
Weekend of street protests in Thailand, Malaysia as anger swells over governments’ apparent mishandling of COVID-19 crisis
KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA — Swathes of people thronged the streets here and in Bangkok during the weekend as the people’s discontentment toward the governments’ apparent mismanagement of the COVID-19 crisis continues to grow.
In the Thai capital city, motorists were seen gathering near the Victory Monument with flags in hand on Sunday (1 August), calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha over the rapidly growing number of new COVID-19 cases and death toll, particularly following the presence of the reportedly more contagious Delta variant in the country.
Prayut’s government has also been criticised for failing to promptly secure enough vaccine supplies.
AP reported a government official as saying on 15 July that Thailand’s production of the AstraZeneca vaccine has lagged behind its target, which could slow down the nation’s plans to secure 61 million doses by May 2022.
Other than the locally made AstraZeneca, the Thai government has reportedly been “scrambling” to procure vaccines on top of the Sinovac and Sinopharm from China, according to AP. The government has reportedly agreed to buy vaccines from Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.
Beyond Bangkok, similar “car mob” protests were reportedly held by thirty groups in other parts of Thailand, Khaosod English tweeted on Sunday.
The “car mob” protest, made popular by political activist Sombat Boonngamanong during the lockdown period, is a means of protesting safely during the pandemic, in line with social distancing guidelines, Khaosod English added.
Motorists are assembling today at Victory Monument to call for Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha to resign over #COVID19 mismanagement. Thirty groups are holding similar protests in different parts of Thailand. #ม็อบ1สิงหา pic.twitter.com/JCtDYQeoLU
— Khaosod English (@KhaosodEnglish) August 1, 2021
Pro-democracy online television channel Voice TV tweeted photographs of the “car mob” protests, with several individuals seen making speeches as their vehicles paraded through the roads.
“If we don’t come out today, we lay at home waiting to die,” the station quoted the protesters as saying.
“ถ้าเราไม่ออกมาวันนี้ เราก็นอนรอความตายอยู่ที่บ้าน”
Car Mob อนุสาวรีย์ประชาธิปไตย มุ่งหน้ารวม 'สมบัติทัวร์'
📷 วิทวัส มณีจักร #ม็อบ1สิงหา pic.twitter.com/m0iLNWr9IF
— Voice TV (@VoiceTVOfficial) August 1, 2021
On top of the three-finger salute — emblematic of pro-democratic rallies not only in Thailand but in Myanmar and Hong Kong — those who participated in the procession were seen sporting placards with slogans such as “NO GOD, NO KING, ONLY HUMAN”, as seen in photographs posted by Voice TV on Twitter.
📷 วิทวัส มณีจักร pic.twitter.com/iUsdcJvXMm
— Voice TV (@VoiceTVOfficial) August 1, 2021
“We will expel Prayut and (push for) the government to resign. and (we will) let good people continue to manage (Thailand),” said a Twitter user, who posted a photograph of motorcyclists holding up the three-finger salute.
Thailand has a mob today.
Thailand has a mob today.
We will expel Prayut and the government to resign.
and let good people continue to manage lll🕊️#ม็อบ1สิงหา
#ไล่ประยุทธ์ #ประยุทธออกไป pic.twitter.com/CzavAsXZWU— ℬ𝓇𝒾𝓁𝓁𝒾𝒶𝓃𝒸ℯ🍡🧋 (@ghopwpsydheusu) August 1, 2021
Thai journalist Pravit Rojanaphruk tweeted a photograph of a sticker on a taxi window that read: “No service to soldiers & police until Prayut resigns.”
"No service to soldiers & police until Prayut resigns," reads a sticker on the side window of this taxi. #Thailand #WhatsHappeningInThailand #COVID19 #ม็อบ1สิงหา #ข่าวลือ #IRoamAlone ht @MatichonOnline a sister org of KhaosodEnglish pic.twitter.com/9YJp3jCm5R
— Pravit Rojanaphruk (@PravitR) August 1, 2021
Sunday’s “car mob” was the latest in a series of such protests. Previous ones of its kind were held on 3 July and 10 July, Bangkok Post reported.
Sombat’s group is among nine groups facing charges from the authorities for allegedly violating the emergency decree.
Under the decree, gatherings of five persons or more are prohibited. Authorities are also given under the order the power to arrest and detain people without charge for up to 30 days for reasons as vague as “supporting” or “concealing information” about the protests.
Despite the criticisms levelled against his administration, Prayut said on Thursday that while the daily transmission rate and deaths related to COVID-19 in the country “may seem shocking”, Thailand’s neighbours and other countries beyond the region have not successfully contained the spread of the virus.
“At present, every country in the world has more or less felt the impact. There are many top-ranking countries, as you can see, whose numbers are many times higher than ours,” CNA reported him as saying in a special interview at the Government House.
“Failed government, liar government”: Hundreds undeterred by police warnings, took to the streets to #Lawan
A day earlier, protesters clad in black outfits and masks peacefully marched through downtown Kuala Lumpur on the last day of July, despite being warned by the police against doing so on the eve of the protest.
The participants — mostly young Malaysians — on Saturday morning held up black flags as well as banners and placards condemning Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s government over the government’s poor handling of the COVID-19 situation, as seen in videos posted by The Malaysian Insight.
“KERAJAAN GAGAL” (“failed government”), “KERAJAAN PENIPU” (“liar government”), and “MISSING IN ACTION: ONLY TALKS THRU PDF” were among wordings seen on some of the placards — the last one referencing Muhyiddin’s frequent absence from the spotlight in times of crisis.
The protest, organised by Sekretariat Solidariti Rakyat (SSR), is part of the ‘Lawan’ campaign, which saw a smaller-scale protest at Dataran Merdeka and convoys held prior to the street protest on Saturday.
In the smaller protest, several individuals representing SSR staged a flashmob of around 20 people at Dataran Merdeka.
14 black flags and a simulation of five “dead bodies” wrapped in white shrouds were displayed during the small protest to depict the increasing death toll as a result of COVID-19, including of suicides believed to be driven by dismal economic conditions and tight restrictions during the lockdown.
‘Lawan’ is the Malay word for ‘fight’ or ‘resist’.
Among the demands made in the campaign include Muhyiddin’s resignation and for Parliament sittings to continue, particularly after months of suspension since the start of the Emergency period in January.
The crowd at Masjid Jamek LRT is preparing to begin their march pic.twitter.com/yETN1FDXhm
— Elill (@Elill_E) July 31, 2021
Astro Awani reported that those who participated in the protest on Saturday adhered to social distancing guidelines and standard operating procedures at all times.
In addition to the demand for Muhyiddin to step down from the PM post, health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah was also chastised for allegedly being a “puppet” of the government, according to a placard held by a protester.
Dr Noor Hisham, who is frequently lauded for his leadership in Malaysia’s management of the COVID-19 pandemic, drew flak from members of the public for discouraging contract doctors from participating in a nationwide strike against the system.
Contract doctors across Malaysia’s public hospitals orchestrated a massive walkout on 26 July after Muhyiddin’s “half-baked” proposal to lengthen their contracts failed to placate their demands regarding their security of tenure.
Antara isu yang dibangkitkan oleh mereka yang menyertai protes #LAWAN #AwaniTerkini @AwaniNews @501Awani pic.twitter.com/EmD5Q9lsbQ
— Neesa Khir 🇲🇾 (@neesakhir) July 31, 2021
Hours prior to the protest, roads leading up to Dataran Merdeka — where the protesters were originally slated to march from the Masjid Jamek LRT station — were shut off by the police.
During the protest itself, demonstrators were prevented by police from making their way to Dataran Merdeka, despite the organisers’ attempt to negotiate with the authorities.
Following that, demonstrators held a sit-in protest, where they were seen singing Negaraku — Malaysia’s national anthem — as well as making speeches and chanting their demands.
The protest reportedly ended around 1.30 pm after police instructed the protesters to disperse.
#LAWAN Protest in 1 minute !! 🏴🏴 pic.twitter.com/ydqjBL5Ykp
— Yue Kin 🤓 (@limyuekin) July 31, 2021
While the organisers estimated a turnout of around 1,000 people at the protest on Saturday, police said that the number of people who turned up was estimated to be only around 400.
In a joint statement on Saturday, several civil society organisations said — in the wake of the police’s handling of the protest — that the pandemic “cannot be used as a pretext” to prevent people from exercising their rights to freedom of assembly and expression.
“In recent weeks, Malaysia has experienced a soaring COVID-19 case load, overwhelmed hospitals and many deaths, while livelihoods have been threatened and lost. The government declared an emergency, imposed draconian laws and suspended Parliament.
“In a functioning democracy, and even during a pandemic, the people must be allowed to demand accountability from the government, including through peaceful protests adopting appropriate public health measures,” they said.
The statement was issued by Amnesty International Malaysia, ARTICLE 19, Centre for Independent Journalism, Freedom Film Network (FFN), Gerakan Media Merdeka (Geramm), Justice for Sisters, KRYSS Network, Sisters in Islam, and Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM).
The organisations criticised the police’s obstruction of the protest via its roadblocks and barricades and its prior threats to pursue legal action against the organisers and the participants.
“Barring access to a public square constitutes a breach of the right to peaceful assembly.
“To uphold the fundamental right of peaceful assembly while appreciating the gravity of the current pandemic, the police should have worked with the organisers to facilitate the protest.
“By barricading access to Dataran Merdeka, the police in fact made it more difficult to comply with COVID-19 SOPs by forcing protesters onto the road,” they said.
They expressed concern about the “excessive police presence in vehicles and on foot, including several armed police officers, the presence of a Black Maria vehicle and a low-flying helicopter”.
“Police officers in uniform and in plain clothes were also taking photographs and videos of protesters. These constitute intimidatory tactics that inhibit protesters’ right to peacefully assemble and, again, serve to obstruct rather than facilitate their peaceful protest. Surveillance of protesters impacts their freedom of expression and may also deter others from exercising this right,” the group said.
The groups also lambasted the police’s move to investigate and arrest the protest organisers prior to the event.
The societies urged the authorities to drop all investigations and charges against the organisers who were subject to those actions prior to the protest, and to refrain from initiating any criminal investigations, arrests or harassment against organisers and protesters who attended the protest on Saturday.
Police, however, said in a statement on Sunday that it has commenced investigations against the organisers and participants of Saturday’s rally.
Inspector-General of Police Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said that 29 individuals have been identified and will be called to complete its investigation papers, while several others are in the process of being identified via video footage and photographs.
The police chief also condemned the “stubborn” move of the organisers and participants to proceed with the demonstration despite being advised against doing so to protect public health and safety in the midst of the raging pandemic.
“Through its observation during the assembly, the Royal Malaysian Police has detected incidents in which the organisers and the participants have violated SOPs as well as regulations issued under Malaysia’s Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act,” said Acryl.
In their joint statement on Saturday, the civil society groups called on the police chief to ensure that the police force is “independent in carrying out its service to the people”.
The police force, they said, should “take proactive initiatives to support and facilitate the right to freedom of assembly and offer protection”.
Heavy-handed tactics such as targeting peaceful protesters and government critics through investigations, arrests and detentions, said the groups, “will have long-term detrimental impacts on democratic progress and civic space”.
“Malaysian authorities should instead take concrete steps to respect, protect, and fulfill Malaysia’s international obligations by providing rallygoers space to assemble peacefully and to facilitate gatherings that are safe, while observing social-distancing rules, as endorsed by the WHO (World Health Organisation),” they said.
Asia
Up to 200 athletes tested for doping so far at Asian Games
Between 150 and 200 Asian Games athletes tested for doping, yielding no positive results. Anti-doping efforts emphasized for a clean event, focusing on record-breakers.
HANGZHOU, CHINA — Between 150 and 200 Asian Games athletes have already been tested for doping, the Olympic Council of Asia said on Monday, with no positive results so far.
Speaking at an anti-doping press conference on the second full day of the Games in the Chinese city of Hangzhou, the OCA said dope-testing was “gaining momentum” at the event.
Mani Jegathesan, an adviser to the OCA anti-doping committee, warned that drug cheats would be rooted out.
Up to 200 athletes have been tested so far, he said, but any positive results will take several days to come through.
“Every athlete participating in these Games must understand that they could be picked at any time,” Jegathesan warned.
“That is the best step to ensuring we have a clean event.”
There are about 12,000 athletes at the 19th Asian Games, more competitors than the Olympics, and Jegathesan admitted it would be impossible to test them all.
Instead, they will prioritise, including picking out those who break world or Asian records.
— AFP
Asia
Foodpanda’s restructuring amid sale speculations
Food delivery giant Foodpanda, a subsidiary of Delivery Hero, announces staff layoffs in the Asia-Pacific region, aiming for increased efficiency. This move coincides with ongoing talks about potentially selling parts of its 11-year-old business.
Foodpanda, a subsidiary of Delivery Hero, is initiating undisclosed staff reductions in the Asia-Pacific region, as discussions continue regarding the potential sale of a portion of its 11-year-old food delivery business.
In a memorandum circulated to employees on 21 September, Foodpanda CEO Jakob Angele conveyed the company’s intent to become more streamlined, efficient, and agile.
Although the exact number of affected employees was not disclosed, the emphasis was on enhancing operational efficiency for the future.
No mention was made in the memo regarding the reports of Foodpanda’s potential sale in Singapore and six other Southeast Asian markets, possibly to Grab or other interested buyers.
Foodpanda had previously conducted staff layoffs in February and September 2022. These actions come as the company faces mounting pressure to achieve profitability, particularly in challenging economic conditions.
The regulatory filings of Foodpanda’s Singapore entity for the fiscal year 2022, ending on 31 Dec, indicated a loss of S$42.7 million despite generating revenue of S$256.7 million.
Angele further explained that Foodpanda intends to review its organizational structure, including both regional and country teams, with some reporting lines being reassigned to different leaders. Additionally, certain functions will be consolidated into regional teams.
Expressing regret over the challenging decisions, Angele assured affected employees of a severance package, paid gardening leave, and extended medical insurance coverage where feasible.
Foodpanda will also forego the usual waiting period for long-term incentive plan grants, and vesting will continue until the last employment date. Employees will retain all vested shares as of their last day of employment.
Foodpanda, established in 2012 and headquartered in Singapore, became a part of Delivery Hero in 2016. The company operates in 11 markets across the Asia-Pacific region, excluding its exit from the Japanese market last year.
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