laitimes

0529 Qingqiao Morning Post|20 Indonesian citizens who were illegally trafficked to Myanmar were successfully rescued

author:Chingbridge International Security Group
0529 Qingqiao Morning Post|20 Indonesian citizens who were illegally trafficked to Myanmar were successfully rescued

Whoever will finally shake the world will remain silent for a long time - Nietzsche

Today in history: 70 years ago today, Mount Everest was conquered, and Edmund Hillary in New Zealand and Tenzin Nogay in Nepal became the first climbers to reach the summit.

politics

01 The 19th Congress of the Philippines lasted nearly one year, and only 4 of the 42 legislative priorities were approved

The first regular session of the 19th Philippine Congress is coming to an end. In the working session, which lasted nearly one year ago, only 4 of the 42 legislative priorities of Marcos Jr. and the Council of Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) were approved.

According to a press conference in the Philippine House of Representatives, the president signed only three of them: the "Mobile Card Real-Name Registration Act", "Bill to Move Town (Village) and Youth Council Elections to October 2023", "Measures to Modify the Fixed Term of Office of Senior Armed Forces Officers", and the fourth bill is to waive the unpaid loans and fines of thousands of beneficiaries of land reform policies. It has been approved by both the House of Representatives and the Senate and is awaiting the President's signature. Of the 42 priority bills, 31 have been approved by the House of Representatives, 4 of which have been approved by the Senate, and 27 bills approved by the House of Representatives are still backlogged in the Senate.

0529 Qingqiao Morning Post|20 Indonesian citizens who were illegally trafficked to Myanmar were successfully rescued

It is reported that Congress is the highest legislative body in the Philippines, consisting of two parts, the Senate and the House of Representatives, both of which have legislative power, but the House of Representatives has greater power, and all bills on appropriations, tariff rates, tax increases, and local aid requests are drafted and proposed by the House of Representatives. The Senate may also propose amendments. Bills passed by Congress must be submitted to the President and signed by the President before becoming law. If rejected, the bill must be reviewed by both houses of Congress, and if each house re-passes it by a two-thirds majority and resubmitted to the President, the President automatically becomes law within 30 days of receiving the bill in both chambers, whether signed or vetoed, and the President has no power to veto it.

economy

01 The European Commission is considering lifting Vietnam's "yellow card" warning

The European Commission's (EC) inspection team is conducting a fourth inspection in Vietnam to consider whether the "yellow card" warning for Vietnamese aquatic products should be lifted. Since the EC issued a "yellow card" warning on 23 October 2017, Vietnam has been subjected to three rounds of inspections.

The "yellow card" warning was issued by the EU in response to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU). It is estimated that illegal fishing (i.e. fishing in violation of fisheries laws and regulations or outside its jurisdiction) accounts for more than one-fifth of the total global catch. In hotspots such as West Africa, the proportion even reaches a quarter. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the annual catch of illegal fishing is about 26 million tons, worth $10 billion to $23 billion. IUU fishing takes a huge toll on developing countries every year.

It is reported that the European Union (EU) is one of the top five markets for Vietnamese aquatic products, second only to the United States, China, Japan and South Korea. Of the $11 billion worth of aquatic products exported by Vietnam last year, $1.3 billion came from the EU market. The Vietnamese government has taken drastic measures to prevent and combat IUUs in recent years, because once a red card is received, the ensuing economic sanctions will completely deprive Vietnam of access to the lucrative European market.

safe

01 Twenty Indonesian citizens who had been illegally trafficked to Myanmar were successfully rescued

On May 26, 2023, 20 victims of Indonesian citizens trapped in a conflict situation in Myanmar arrived in Indonesia from Manila, Philippines to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, and upon arrival, they were immediately escorted to a waiting police bus.

Fake recruiters promised the Indonesians high-paying jobs in Thailand, but illegally trafficked them to Myawaddy, about 567 kilometers (352 miles) south of the capital, Naypyidaw, to scam cryptocurrency websites or apps, officials said. Its embassy in Yangon, with the help of local networks, managed to rescue the victims from the town of Myawaddy and brought them to the Thai border last Saturday.

The incident stemmed last month, when a victim filmed a video of help posted on social media, showing dozens of expressionless Indonesian workers in a dormitory, begging their government to help them leave the "war zone" where they saw violence almost daily. Victims recounted torture, beatings, electric shocks and other physical punishment over the past eight months. The video provoked a strong response across Indonesia. Indonesian President Joko Widodo ordered the Foreign Ministry to "go all out" to help rescue the victims.

02 The Philippines assures the public that relief operations are ready in response to Super Typhoon Mawa

Recently, the Philippine Department of Budget and Management (DBM) assured the public that in response to Super Typhoon Mawa (international name), the government is ready to support all disaster relief operations with the necessary budget and that identified frontline government agencies can mobilize their Rapid Response Fund (QRF) allocated in their respective budgets.

The Rapid Response Fund is an intrinsic budget allocation that represents pre-disaster or standby funding for agencies to provide immediate assistance to areas affected by disasters and crises.

It is reported that "Mawa" is the second named storm of the 2023 Pacific typhoon season, with the power of a Category 4 hurricane (the highest magnitude is Category 5). On May 23, the China Meteorological Administration and the Hong Kong Observatory upgraded it to a super typhoon. At 8 p.m., the Taiwan Meteorological Bureau upgraded it to a strong typhoon. On the evening of the 24th, it swept over the northern part of Guam in the United States, bringing strong winds and heavy rain, causing widespread power outages, which is considered to be the strongest storm to hit Guam in recent years. It is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility this weekend.

culture

01 Laos launched the revised Grade 5 curriculum training activities

Recently, Laos launched a revised fifth grade curriculum training activity. The training will last 6 days from May 25 to May 30 and will focus on three subjects: Lao, English, Science and Environment, and participants will have the opportunity to explore, test and reflect on different classroom activities around active learning through micro-lessons, as well as learn new assessment methods and new lesson preparation templates. This course training is designed to equip all grade 5 teachers, principals and instructional support staff with the necessary skills, techniques and practical knowledge to use new curriculum materials in the classroom and ultimately improve student performance.

It is reported that Australia's education assistance to Laos is mainly focused on basic education and vocational education. Since 2015, the Lao Ministry of Education and Sports, with the support of the Australian Government, has developed a new national primary curriculum along with new teaching materials and a complete primary teacher training program through the BEQUAL program. The new Grade 5 curriculum will be implemented from September 2023 in the next school year. This is the final year of the national primary curriculum renewal process, which began in 2019.

02 Bohol in the Philippines has been recognized as a Global Geopark by the United Nations

Recently, at the 216th session of UNESCO's Executive Board in Paris, France, Bohol, the Philippines, was recognized as a Global Geopark. In its nomination for Bohol and other Geoparks, UNESCO described the Philippines as having "scenic beauty, diverse geomorphological and structural features". In addition, it added that the Double Barrier Reef off the northern coast of Danahon in Bohol "is the only reef of its kind in Southeast Asia and one of only six recorded double barrier reefs on Earth", and due to its dynamic geological and tectonic history, Bohol also has a highly diverse flora and fauna, protected endemic species through protected areas of the Loterocarp rainforest tree and animal reserve.

The UNESCO Global Geoparks logo was created in 2015 to recognize geological heritage of international importance. There are currently 195 UNESCO-recognized Geoparks in 48 countries and regions.

Weather: Vientiane, Laos has recently turned cloudy with showers, and the body temperature has reached 41 degrees, please pay attention to sun protection and heat in Laos and replenish water in time.

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