22/04/2026

WEDNESDAY | APR 22, 2026

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Indonesia passes law to protect domestic workers

US access to Manila bases limited MANILA: Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said yesterday there has only been ‘marginal’ use of Philippine bases accessible to the US military due to land issues. Treaty allies the Philippines and the United States have a 12-year-old Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement that allows a rotational presence of American military in Philippine bases without establishing a permanent presence. In 2023, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr expanded the number of bases that the US can use to nine, including areas that face Taiwan and the South China Sea. Teodoro, however, said the development of these sites has been marred by delays, and noted that some of the bases do not have an air force presence. “The use of the EDCA sites has been marginal because some of these, we still have to settle the land and tenurial issues,” Teodoro told broadcaster ABS-CBN in an interview. “The delay has been difficult. We’re slow on project execution,” he said, without identifying specific bases where delays have occurred. The disclosure comes on the heels of annual military exercises between the Philippine and US militaries. The April 20 to May 8 exercises, called “Balikatan” or “shoulder-to-shoulder”, will be the largest yet with other participants including New Zealand, Canada, Japan, France and Australia. – Reuters Japan opens door to global arms market TOKYO: Japan yesterday unveiled its biggest overhaul of defence export rules in decades, scrapping restrictions on overseas arms sales and opening the way for exports of warships, missiles and other weapons. The move marks another step away from the pacifist restraints that have shaped its postwar security policy. Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are also straining US weapons production, expanding opportunities for Japan. At the same time, US allies in Europe and Asia are looking to diversify suppliers as Washington’s long-held security commitments look less certain under President Donald Trump. “No single country can now protect its own peace and security alone, and partner countries that support each other in terms of defence equipment are necessary,” Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in a post on X. The revision approved by Takaichi’s government removes five export categories that had limited most military exports to rescue, transport, warning, surveillance and mine sweeping equipment. Ministers and officials will instead assess the merits of each proposed sale. Japan will keep in place three export principles that commit it to strict screening, controls on transfers to third countries and a ban on sales to countries involved in conflict. But in a presentation outlining the changes, the government said exceptions could be made when deemed necessary for national security. Japanese officials and diplomats have told Reuters that countries ranging from Poland to the Philippines are exploring procurement opportunities as they modernise their forces. One of the first deals could be the export of used warships to Manila, two of the sources said. Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro welcomed Japan’s rule change, saying it would provide access to defence “articles of the highest quality” that would “strengthen domestic resilience” and “contribute to regional stability through deterrence”. The Philippines, together with Japan’s southwestern island chain, forms part of what military planners call the First Island Chain, a string of islands that hems in China’s access from its coastal waters to the Western Pacific. As Beijing’s regional influence grows, Manila and Tokyo have deepened security ties. – Reuters

The Jala PRT domestic workers’ rights group, which had been advocating the law, hailed it as a “historic” moment. “Most domestic workers are women who have been neglected all this time; now there is recognition and protection,” said Jala PRT coordinator Lita Anggraini. But she warned “the struggle is not over” and a public education campaign would be needed to teach employers about their responsibilities. The group reported more than 3,300 cases of violence against domestic workers between 2021 and 2024, including physical and psychological abuse, economic exploitation, even human trafficking. In 2023, nine people in South Jakarta, including a 70-year-old woman, were given sentences of up to four years for abusing and torturing a young domestic worker who was beaten, burnt with cigarettes, and chained to a dog cage. – Reuters

plenary session to indicate the law had been adopted. “The enactment of a Law on the Protection of Domestic Workers aims to provide legal certainty for both domestic workers and employers, and to prevent all forms of discrimination, exploitation and abuse against domestic workers,” Minister of Law Supratman Andi Agtas told the plenary. Domestic workers will now be entitled to vocational training, health and unemployment benefits. The law also specifically prohibits the hiring of children under 18 as domestic workers – a common practice in a country where less than a third of people complete high school. The legislation does not quantify a minimum wage but provides for a 12-month period to work out supporting regulations, including penalties for those who flout the law.

o Two decades of deliberations

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s parliament passed a law yesterday to protect the rights of domestic workers after more than two decades of deliberations and multiple delays. The Bill was first introduced in 2004 to protect the country’s 4.2 million domestic workers, almost 90% of them women according to data from the Ministry of Manpower. They were previously not legally classified as workers, meaning they were forced to operate in an informal and unregulated economy, exposed to exploitation and abuse. Cheers and claps erupted from the audience as House Speaker Puan Maharani brought down the gavel during yesterday’s

Myanmar head seeks peace talks within 100 days YANGON: Myanmar’s new military-backed government wants to hold peace talks with opposition armed groups by the end of July, its president said, but two key rebel groups rejected the offer yestersday. Union, the Chin National Front and the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front. Min Aung Hlaing referred to signatories of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) in his remarks, a deal that was in place before the 2021 coup threw it into question. after merely changing their appearance from the military,” he said. IN HOMAGE ... Sri Lanka’s Roman Catholic Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith (centre), Vatican Ambassador Monsignor Andrez Jozwowlez (right) and Buddhist monk Omalpe Sobitha placing candles as they pay homage to the victims of 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, during its 7th anniversary at St Anthony’s Church in Colombo yesterday. The bomb blasts killed 279 people. – AFPPIC

Myanmar has been in turmoil following the coup that overthrew the government of Aung San Suu Kyi, who was subsequently imprisoned for 27 years on charges her allies say were politically motivated. Last week, the government cut the 80-year old’s sentence by one-sixth. The parliament elected Min Aung Hlaing as president earlier this month, following a lopsided election that was derided by critics and Western governments as a sham to perpetuate military rule behind a veneer of democracy. The new administration has only been recognised by a few countries. – Reuters

State media reported that President Min Aung Hlaing, who led a coup five years ago that plunged the Southeast Asian country into a civil war that continues to rage, told a government meeting that he wanted rebel groups that were not part of a ceasefire deal to join talks to be held within 100 days. “For groups that have not yet engaged in dialogue and negotiation, we also invite them to come take part in discussions by the final deadline of July 31,” he said, and mentioned opposition groups such as the Karen National

Saw Taw Nee, a spokesperson for the KNU, dismissed the government proposal. “The KNU has already withdrawn from the NCA since the 2021 coup. We have no plans to return to negotiations or follow the NCA path,” he said. CNF spokesman Salai Htet Ni said his group was seeking a federal democratic system free of the influence of the military. “Since we are fighting a military-political battle for this, we have nothing to discuss with those who call themselves an ‘administration’