LUCY WEST |

A fortnightly snapshot of what’s making headlines in South East Asia.

Philippines and China hold talks over South China Sea

The Philippines and China recently held talks concerning the South China Sea. The online ‘dialogue’ was convened through the bilateral consultation mechanism first established in 2016 by President Xi Jinping and President Rodrigo Duterte—these talks are the sixth since then.

The talks come amidst increased tension in the heavily disputed waters, with the latest episode concerning the presence of hundreds of Chinese vessels inside the Philippines 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone. Manila said that the vessels were manned by militia, while Beijing said they were fishing boats sheltering from poor weather conditions.

During the ‘friendly’ talks the issue was addressed of compensation for the Filipino fisherman abandoned by a Chinese ship (Yuemaobinyu 42212) that hit their boat in the West Philippine Sea in 2019. The crew were rescued by a passing Vietnamese vessel. The Philippines’ Justice Department will begin talks next month (scheduled for June 2 and 4) on the matter. Last year prosecutors set an amount of P12 million ($250,000USD) as payment to the 22 fishermen to cover repair costs, lost income and civil and moral damages.

Suu Kyi seen in public for first time since coup

Myanmar’s deposed Prime Minister Aung San Suu Kyi made her first in-person court appearance on Monday 24—the first public appearance since her removal by the military on 1 February. Previous court appearances have been via video link.

Suu Kyi faces a range of charges, some which are punishable by 14 years in prison. Her lawyers told local journalists that they were able to meet with Suu Kyi for 30 minutes before the hearing. She reported having no access to newspapers during detention and was only partially aware of what was happening on the streets in Myanmar.

Suu Kyi issued the following statement regarding her National League for Democracy party: “our party grew out of the people so it will exist as long as people support it”.

Vietnam votes on 15th National Assembly

On Sunday Vietnam went to the polls to vote for the country’s 15th National Assembly. 868 candidates stood for election to the available 500 seats. Of these, 74 were independent candidates, with the remainder representatives of the ruling Vietnamese Communist Party. It is reported that female candidates accounted for just over 45% of the total number of those vying for assembly seats.

This election included the first openly gay independent candidate—a significant feat. Hanoi has gradually tolerated reform, as demonstrated by their acceptance of participation of independent candidates and minorities in politics, which many analysts see as a move to ensure the stability of one-party rule.

Members of the National Assembly are chosen every five years. The nearly 69.2 million registered voters will also vote for members of People’s Councils at provisional and local levels. Results of the election are to be announced within 10 days of the vote.

AUTHOR

Dr Lucy West is a Senior Research Assistant at the Griffith Asia Institute.