31/05/2025

SATURDAY | MAY 31, 2025

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France may toughen stance on Israel

Best to end conflict, peace

envoy tells Myanmar

o Paris committed to two-state solution

PHNOM PENH: Myanmar military leaders and resistance groups must end the conflict immediately, failing which the nation could face a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, said former Thai deputy prime minister Prof Dr Surakiart Sathirathai. Surakiart, who was also the foreign minister, said the derailed peace process coupled with the recent earthquake has punished millions of innocent Myanmar residents. At least 3.5 million people have been displaced due to the armed conflict and the March earthquake that killed over 3,800 people. According to the Myanmar Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, 15.2 million or one in four people are already facing hunger in 2025. The current ceasefire, declared by the military government to facilitate relief efforts post-earthquake, expires today. “2025 is a crucial year for peace in Myanmar. We have to work together to ensure that the ceasefire and inclusive dialogue can take place before the election. “The fighting on the ground that we have seen in the past years has come to the point that no one can win total control of the territory in Myanmar,” Surakiart, the Asian Peace and Reconciliation Council chairman said in Bangkok. The veteran politician served as Thailand’s deputy prime minister between 2005 and 2006 and was the foreign minister from 2001 to 2005. He said the fighting shows that the Myanmar people need humanitarian assistance, adding that while the armed forces has announced an election, it would only lead to more division, even if it is free and fair. Surakiart said the crucial Five Point Consensus adopted by Asean leaders in April 2021 has not been fully implemented. He said although the consensus called for the cessation of violence and constructive dialogue among all parties, neither has happened in the past three years. – Bernama

SINGAPORE: could harden its position on Israel if it continues to block humanitarian aid to Gaza, French President Emmanuel Macron said yesterday, reiterating that Paris was committed to a two-state solution to resolve the Israel Palestinian conflict. “The humanitarian blockade is creating a situation that is untenable on the ground,” Macron said at a joint press conference in Singapore with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. “And so, if there is no response that meets the humanitarian situation in the coming hours and days, obviously, we will have to toughen our collective position,” Macron said, adding that France may consider applying sanctions against Israeli settlers. “But I still hope that the government of Israel will change its stance and that we will finally have a humanitarian response.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has hit back at growing international pressure over the war in Gaza, the deadliest fighting in decades of conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Macron was in Singapore on a state visit and he will also deliver France

the keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier security forum, which runs for three days until tomorrow. Deep differences between Hamas and Israel have stymied previous attempts to restore a ceasefire that broke down in March. Under growing international pressure, Israel partially ended an 11-week long aid blockade on Gaza 10 days ago. It has allowed a limited amount of relief to be delivered via two avenues – the United Nations or the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Macron said France is committed to working towards a political solution and reiterated his support for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. He is leaning towards recognising a Palestinian state, diplomats and experts say, a move that could infuriate Israel and deepen Western splits. French officials are weighing up the move ahead of a UN conference, which France and Saudi Arabia are co-hosting between June 17 and 20, to lay out the parameters for a roadmap to a Palestinian state, while ensuring Israel’s security. – Reuters

Macron and Wong after their press briefing yesterday. – AFPPIC

Vietnam seizes fake items in crackdown HANOI: Vietnamese authorities have seized thousands of fake products, including imitation Rolex watches and Prada handbags, during a raid at a shopping mall in business hub Ho Chi Minh City, state media reported yesterday. after the United States accused the country of being a major hub for such illegal activities and threatened crippling tariffs.

in Vietnam,” the report cited the Trade Ministry’s market surveillance department as saying. An employee of the mall confirmed the raid. “We lease the space to the sellers and are not aware of the origins and authenticity of the products they sell,” the employee, who declined to be named, said by phone. – Reuters

The items seized also included alleged fake products of other brands, including Longines, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Dior and Hermes, state radio broadcaster VOV reported. “All of these products show signs of counterfeiting genuine goods, seriously affecting the interests of consumers as well as the reputation of protected brands

Earlier in May, Reuters reported fake luxury goods were on display at the mall, which is on the list of “notorious markets for counterfeiting” published in January by the United States Trade Representative.

The raid at Saigon Square Shopping Mall comes as Vietnam steps up its fight against counterfeits and digital piracy,

China sets up international mediation body HONG KONG: China signed a convention setting up an international organisation for mediation in Hong Kong yesterday that Beijing hopes would be on par with the International Court of Justice and bolster the city’s international credentials. the signing ceremony. Representatives from 20 international bodies including the United Nations were also expected to join, public broadcaster RTHK said.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi about to sign the Convention on the Establishment of the International Organisation for Mediation. – REUTERSPIC

“Hong Kong has been offered as an alternative but I still think that borrowers, especially borrowers or anybody with a Belt and Road contract related or with a Chinese leg will feel less protected nowadays,” she said. Hong Kong tied with Singapore for second place, behind London, as the top choice for a seat of arbitration in 2025, according to the 2025 International Arbitration Survey conducted by Queen Mary University of London. Hong Kong Justice Secretary Paul Lam said the new body would help Hong Kong cope with challenges that arise when “hostile external forces are attempting to de-internationalise and de-functionalise” the city. The new organisation headquarters will be at a former police station in the bustling Wan Chai district and is due to open by the end of this year or early next year. – Reuters

A video shown at the signing, which was presided by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, said the scope of cases that would be handled include disputes between countries, between a country and nationals of another country and between private international entities. The mediation group could advance China’s influence internationally and promote a more assertive role for the world’s second largest economy in global governance, some analysts said, although its success remains to be seen. French international bank Natixis chief Asia Pacific economist Alicia Garcia-Herreo said the move was good news for Hong Kong, but cited arbitration centres in Chinese cities Xian and Shenzhen which had not worked well.

The move comes amid growing geopolitical tensions that have been exacerbated by US President Donald Trump’s global trade war and fuelled risks of a sharp worldwide economic downturn. The mediation body aims to cement Hong Kong’s presence as a top centre to resolve disputes between countries, leader John Lee said earlier this week, adding that its status would be on par with the International Court of Justice and the Permanent Court of Arbitration of the United Nations in The Hague. Indonesia, Pakistan, Laos, Cambodia and Serbia were among the countries attending