02/07/2025

WEDNESDAY | JULY 2, 2025

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Thai court suspends PM pending dismissal case

Vietnam rolls out anti-graft plan HANOI: The Vietnamese Government has unveiled an action plan to overhaul oversight of public finances and assets, endorsing a Politburo regulation to curb corruption and bolster accountability, Vietnam News Agency reported. The plan, designed to align with the party’s directives, aims to embed rigorous controls over power and prevent abuse in managing state resources. A core goal is to ensure that leaders, including heads of agencies and decision-making officials, are held to higher standards of accountability. The plan highlights transparent leadership and robust management to protect the integrity of public financial systems. The resolution mandates intensified scrutiny of ministries, agencies, and local authorities, with a focus on how they wield authority over public funds and property. Senior leaders are expected to lead by example, embracing transparency, public accountability and a culture of self criticism in their organisations. To enforce compliance, the government will ramp up inspections, audits and sector-specific reviews to detect and deter misconduct while ensuring adherence to party guidelines and laws. The plan also calls for restructuring of the workforce, prioritising the recruitment and training of officials who demonstrate professional competence, integrity and dedication. To mitigate risks, regular job rotations and position changes are mandated for officials involved in advising, allocating and managing finances. – Bernama sanctions prohibit Tolentino from entering the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macau. – Reuters MANILA, CANBERRA END CYBER WARFARE DRILLS MANILA: The Philippine Army said yesterday it has conducted six weeks of cyber warfare exercises with the Australian Defence Force to strengthen their cyber defence and resilience. The exercises, dubbed “Joint Defence Forward Training Activity”, were held at the Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City from mid-May to June 26. “It aimed to strengthen cyber defence by conducting operations focused on detecting, analysing, and mitigating sophisticated digital threats,” army spokesperson Col Louie Dema-ala said. Key activities included joint malware forensics, advanced threat intelligence exchange and reverse engineering of malicious software. – Bernama CHINA SANCTIONS EX-FILIPINO SENATOR MANILA: China sanctioned former Philippine senator Francis Tolentino yesterday and barred him entry, citing “egregious conduct” on matters such as the disputed South China Sea a day after the end of his six-year term. Tolentino, who lost his bid for a second term, had canvassed on his efforts to bring in laws last year defining the country’s sea lanes and maritime zones, which China opposed. A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry accused some Filipino politicians of making “malicious remarks and moves” that hurt ties between the two nations. “The Chinese government is firmly resolved to defend national sovereignty, security and development interests,” the spokesperson said. The

BR I E F S

o Deputy takes over as caretaker premier

Under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the Philippines has extended its arc of alliances beyond the United States, its traditional ally, signing defence deals with Japan and New Zealand, and negotiating for similar agreements with Canada and France. On Monday, the Philippines and Lithuania signed a memorandum of understanding to deepen defence cooperation in areas like cyber security, maritime security and munitions production. “The interesting thing is that we’re facing absolutely similar threats and our hostile neighbours are using absolutely similar approach,” Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene said in the joint briefing with Teodoro. – Reuters declining strength of the Pheu Thai Party, the populist juggernaut of the billionaire Shinawatra dynasty that has dominated Thai elections since 2001, enduring military coups and court rulings that have toppled multiple governments and prime ministers. It has been a baptism of fire for political novice Paetongtarn, who was thrust into power as Thailand’s youngest premier and replacement for Srettha Thavisin, who was dismissed by the Constitutional Court for violating ethics by appointing a minister who was once jailed. Paetongtarn’s government has also been struggling to revive a stuttering economy and her popularity has declined sharply, with a June 19-25 opinion poll released at the weekend showing her approval rating sinking to 9.2% from 30.9% in March. Paetongtarn is not alone in her troubles, with influential father Thaksin Shinawatra, the driving force behind her government, facing legal hurdles of his own in two different courts this month. Divisive tycoon Thaksin, according to his lawyer, appeared at his first hearing at Bangkok’s Criminal Court yesterday on charges he insulted Thailand’s powerful monarchy, a serious offence punishable by up to 15 years in prison if found guilty. Thaksin denies the allegations and has repeatedly pledged allegiance to the crown. The case stems from a 2015 media interview Thaksin gave while in self-imposed exile, from which he returned in 2023 after 15 years abroad to serve a prison sentence for conflicts of interest and abuse of power. Thaksin, 75, dodged jail and spent six months in hospital detention on medical grounds before being released on parole in February last year. The Supreme Court will this month scrutinise that hospital stay and could potentially send him back to jail. – Reuters

The leaked call with the veteran Cambodian politician triggered domestic outrage and has left Paetongtarn’s coalition with a razor-thin majority, with a key party abandoning the alliance and expected to soon seek a no confidence vote in parliament, as protest groups demand the premier resigns. During a June 15 call intended to defuse escalating border tensions with Cambodia, Paetongtarn, 38, kowtowed before Hun Sen and criticised a Thai army commander, a red line in a country where the military has significant clout. She has apologised and said her remarks were a negotiating tactic. Paetongtarn’s battles after only 10 months in power underline the

telephone with Cambodia’s influential former leader Hun Sen. “The court has considered the petition .... and unanimously accepts the case for consideration,” it said in a statement. Deputy Prime Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit will take over in a caretaker capacity while the court decides the case against Paetongtarn, who has 15 days to respond and will remain in the Cabinet as the new culture minister following a reshuffle. “Government work doesn’t stop, there is no problem,” said Tourism Minister and Pheu Thai Party Secretary-General Sorawong Thienthong. “Suriya will become caretaker prime minister.” conversation

BANGKOK: Thailand’s Constitutional Court yesterday suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra from duty pending a case seeking her dismissal, adding to mounting pressure on a government fighting for survival and under fire on multiple fronts. The court took on the petition from 36 senators that accuses Paetongtarn of dishonesty and breaching ethical standards in violation of the constitution over the leak of a politically sensitive

Paetongtarn leaving after her suspension yesterday. – REUTERSPIC

East, South China seas facing similar threats MANILA: Military leaders are working to enforce a “one-theatre” concept in both the East and South China seas, the Philippines’ defence minister said on Monday, adding that the Southeast Asian country faces threats in disputed waters that are similar to Japan’s. Japanese newspaper Asahi and South China seas as a single area of operation, saying both are maritime areas with no land borders involved. However, he said the area should exclude the Korean Peninsula. China Sea around disputed shoals and atolls that fall inside Manila’s exclusive economic zone. China’s embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Japan’s Joint Operations

“That will involve synergy in operations, synergy in domain awareness, in intelligence exchange, and in mutually reinforcing our strengths to work doubly real-time,” he said at a briefing during the visit of his Lithuanian counterpart Dovile Sakaliene. Japan and China have repeatedly faced off over uninhabited Japanese-administered islands in the East China Sea that Tokyo calls the Senkaku and Beijing calls the Diaoyu. The Philippines and China have clashed frequently in the South

Command is operationalising the single-theatre concept, and the “Squad” grouping that includes the defence ministers of Australia, Japan, the Philippines and the United States will establish a coordinating centre in December to enforce it, Teodoro said. “So it is already an operating concept. It does not need any other agreement,”Teodoro said. Japan and the Philippines last year signed a military agreement that could allow their soldiers on each other’s soil.

reported in April that Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani made a proposal to Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth to consider the East China Sea, the South China Sea, the Korean Peninsula and surrounding areas as a single “theatre”, referring to a military area of operation. Philippines’ Secretary of National Defence Gilberto Teodoro said it was “reasonable” to treat both the East