MAIN ISSUES IN EAST ASIA PACIFIC Monday, 31 December 2018

APAC Assistance Director Paul Quaglia discusses East Asia Pacific security issues.

INDONESIA

  • Mount Agung on Indonesia’s tourist island of Bali erupted again yesterday. The volcano spewed ash over surrounding villages.
  • The airports on Bali and Lombok remain unaffected. A four kilometer danger zone exists.
  • Clients should be aware of possible travel disruptions if winds change and so check any pending flight details regularly.

MALAYSIA 

  • Yesterday, delegates to the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia annual general assembly passed a resolution calling for Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to stay as prime minister until the next general election. Mahathir reiterated that he will keep his promise to only serve as Malaysia’s interim prime minister.
  • Mahathir is committed to transfer power to his ally, PKP President Anwar Ibrahim, after two years. His supporters are likely to continue urging him to serve a full term.

THAILAND

  • There has been a series of bombing and shooting attacks by suspected Muslim separatists in Narathiwat and Pattani provinces. Yesterday, a home-made bomb exploded at a railway bridge in Cho Airong district in Narathiwat. On the night of December 29, bombs exploded in four different districts in the province. Two shooting attacks were also reported in Narathiwat and in Pattani. There were no reports of deaths or injuries in the explosions. However, a woman was killed and three paramilitary soldiers were wounded in the shooting attacks. On December 28, four people were injured in a string of bomb blasts and shooting attacks in six locations in Narathiwat.
  • The insurgent attacks in Thailand’s south are likely to intensify during the run-up to the February 2019 general elections. Authorities have ordered the installation of more checkpoints in the region.
  • Clients in Thailand should employ cautions especially in Bangkok and in the south during the campaign period for the general election.Duterte’s order and plan, if followed by the military, will result in more violence and human rights violations.

MYANMAR

  • Thousands of Pa’O people, an ethnic group in central and southern Myanmar, staged a protest in Taunggyi, the capital of Shan State, on December 29. The protesters demanded justice for the recent killing of five Pa’O civilians by rebels belonging to the Restoration Council of Shan State.
  • The Myanmar Military declared a temporary ceasefire in the northern states of Shan and Kachin. However, violence continues in the two states and in Rakhine.
  • Clients should continue avoiding the states of Shan, Kachin and Rakhine. When business missions are critical contact us to arrange the travel security measures necessary for the area.
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