Category: Legal Issues

The Royal Brunei Police Force is tracing the whereabout of a local man who went missing.

Tomo Bakhtiar bin Jali, aged 40, holds yellow identity card number 00-294412.

Any information on his whereaboutS, contact the Tutong Police Station at 422 1206 or hotline 993 or any nearby police stations.

Source: Radio Television Brunei

A foreign worker was reported to have ran away from her employer.

Any information on 29-year-old, Nova Aprillita, who holds the passport number C9900169, contact the Bandar Seri Begawan Police Station at 224 2334, hotline 993 or any nearby police station.

Source: Radio Television Brunei

A 27-year-old local man was arrested by the Royal Brunei Police Force, RBPF believed to be involved in a case of armed robbery. The incident reportedly happened at a grocery store in Jalan Pasir Berakas, Kampung Lambak.

In the incident that occurred last Monday, the retail store salesperson has become the victim of a robbery case, after the suspect was believed to have used a hammer as a weapon to blackmail the victim into handing over all the money in the store’s cashier machine.

The case is investigated under Section 392 of the Penal Code Chapter 22 for robbery. If found guilty, the offender will be sentenced to an imprisonment of not more than 30 years and stroke of the cane of not less than 12 strokes.

Source: Radio Television Brunei

 

​A local female was reported to have run away from home.

 

49-year-old, Hajah Balqis Binti Haji Mohd Hussein, holds smart card number 00-255613.

 

Any information on her whereabouts, the public can contact Lamunin Police Station, Tutong Police District at 423 7374 or police hotline 993 or any nearby police station.

 

 

Source: Radio Television Brunei

 

Analysts: As 2023 ASEAN chair, Indonesia must dial up pressure on Myanmar junta

 

Much is expected from next year’s ASEAN chair Indonesia, especially in resolving the post-coup crisis in Myanmar, but analysts say that little will change unless Jakarta spearheads a hardline stance against the Burmese junta.

Navigating geopolitical rivalries between superpowers will pose another challenge, say analysts. Some predict that Indonesia will likely focus its 2023 chairmanship on regional connectivity, economic recovery, and preventing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations from being used as a pawn in the U.S.-China tug-of-war.

Last month, Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said that the situation in Myanmar should not define the regional bloc. But how ASEAN deals with the issue will show whether it is an effective regional institution and problem solver, said Shofwan Al Banna Choiruzzad, an international relations lecturer at the University of Indonesia.

“ASEAN is still clinging to the five-point consensus. It needs to be more aggressive in pushing for conflict resolution, such as temporarily freezing Myanmar’s membership if the violence continues,” he told BenarNews.

The Myanmar junta “agreed to” a five-point consensus with ASEAN in April 2021, more than two months after the Burmese generals toppled an elected government. The aim was to restore peace and democracy to Myanmar.

However that country has since descended into a bloody civil conflict, with many analysts saying the violence only increased in the second half of 2022. Nearly 2,700 people have been killed and close to 17,000 have been arrested in Myanmar, according to the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the coup leader, has reneged on almost every point of the consensus. Still, Myanmar remains a member of ASEAN and all the bloc has done is to exclude any representative from the Myanmar junta from its official meetings.

Indonesia, as the ASEAN chair, needs to be more assertive in dealing with the junta after nearly two years of zero progress, said Yose Rizal Damuri, executive director at the Jakarta-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

“All this time ASEAN has been restricted to the non-interference principle, therefore ASEAN must have a clearer proposal, whether that means putting more pressure on Myanmar … or, if necessary, expel Myanmar from ASEAN,” he told BenarNews.

He was referring to one of the bloc’s core operating principles: that member-states do not interfere in each other’s domestic affairs.

Analysts may be indulging in some wishful thinking when talking about ASEAN expelling Myanmar.

The 10-member bloc also famously operates by consensus. And critics have said that close ties between some of ASEAN’s more authoritarian member-states and Myanmar’s military have prevented stronger action.

Just this month, the Thai government hosted a meeting on the Myanmar crisis that included the Burmese junta’s foreign minister. Analysts saw this as a deliberate attempt to deepen a schism within ASEAN between its more authoritarian governments and its more democratic ones.

Those members opposed to the Burmese junta – Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore – were notably absent from the Bangkok meeting.

As Southeast Asia’s largest nation and the world’s third-largest democracy, Indonesia can be a strong leader of ASEAN, according to Abdul Ghafur Hamid, a law professor at the International Islamic University Malaysia.

President Jokowi is taking the helm of the 10-member bloc after having served this past year as president of the Group of Twenty, which was divided over Russia’s invasion and war in Ukraine.

“[I]ndonesia was once under military rule and successfully transitioned to a democratic state,” he wrote in an opinion piece in the Jakarta Post on Thursday.

“Indonesia’s vast experience with this strategic transition will definitely help President Jokowi and the new Indonesian special envoy for Myanmar to be able to overcome the challenges ahead.”

Indonesia’s chairmanship could lead to Myanmar being persuaded to hold an election next year, like the junta promised, said Andi Widjajanto, the governor of the National Resilience Institute, a government agency.

In September, Min Aung Hlaing had indicated in an interview to Russian news agency RIA that the proposed August 2023 election may be delayed, Thai news site The Irrawaddy reported.

Of course, there is the question of the legitimacy of junta-held elections. Many believe they will be a sham, much like the reason given for justifying the coup – that the November 2020 polls were rigged.

Besides, “how many times do they have to hold elections to become a mature democracy?” Andi told BenarNews.

Jokowi and Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi are well aware of the challenges that Indonesia faces as ASEAN chair.

“We will hold the chairmanship in the midst of a global situation that is not getting any better. And at home, the situation in Myanmar has posed its own challenge for ASEAN,” Retno told reporters last month.

“For this reason, Indonesia wants to make ASEAN remain important and relevant – ASEAN matters,” Retno said.

ASEAN ‘will not be a proxy (for) any powers’

Meanwhile, another “formidable challenge” to Indonesia’s chairmanship of ASEAN is that Southeast Asia has become a theater for the rivalry between the United States and China, said analyst Shofwan of the University of Indonesia.

“Managing and maintaining ASEAN centrality in the region will be critical to managing these tensions,” he said.

The tensions go beyond a competition between the superpowers for influence in Southeast Asia.

Five ASEAN countries – Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam – have territorial claims or maritime boundaries in the South China Sea that overlap with China’s sweeping claims. While Indonesia does not regard itself as a party to the South China Sea dispute, Beijing claims historic rights to parts of that sea overlapping Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone.

ASEAN and China have been negotiating a code for years but without success.

Indonesia’s chairmanship may try to focus on regional connectivity to avoid falling into the pit of great-power competition, Teesta Prakash and Gatra Priyandita, analysts at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), wrote on the think-tank’s website last week.

“Indonesia is aware that a unified ASEAN bloc, and indeed a cohesive Southeast Asia, would be the best deterrent against an assertive rising China, and that will be its single most important challenge – to bring cohesion to the region, economically as well as strategically,” they wrote.

“Its success will be measured by how it bridges the strategic and economic dissonance in 2023.”

They also wrote that Timor-Leste’s imminent inclusion as ASEAN’s eleventh member is “driven by the strategic vision that no country in Southeast Asia should fall under any one power’s influence.”

The tiny nation of 1.3 million people, formerly known as East Timor, voted to break away from Indonesian rule in 1999, 24 years after the Indonesian forces invaded and occupied the former Portuguese colony.

Timor Leste is expected to become ASEAN’s 11th member next year at a yet-unspecified date. Some analysts say that Timor-Leste’s alleged closeness to China is a cause of concern for Western allies in the Indo-Pacific, such as Australia.

“Given the potential for Timor-Leste to fall under China’s economic influence, its inclusion in ASEAN could ensure that it diversifies its economy and integrates with the region, lessening its dependence on China,” the ASPI article said.

Jokowi and his foreign minister have emphasized that ASEAN cannot be a pawn in what minister Retno, during a speech before the U.N. General Assembly in September, called a “new Cold War.”

Speaking after being handed the ceremonial ASEAN chairmanship gavel by Cambodia last month, Jokowi said: “ASEAN must become a peaceful region and anchor for global stability, consistently uphold international law and not be a proxy (for) any powers.”

 

 

Radio Free Asia –Copyright © 1998-2016, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036

 

A Chinese military plane came within 3 meters of a U.S. Air Force aircraft in the contested South China Sea last week and forced it to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision in international airspace, the U.S. military said Thursday.

The close encounter followed what the United States has called a recent trend of increasingly dangerous behavior by Chinese military aircraft.

The incident, which involved a Chinese Navy J-11 fighter jet and a U.S. air force RC-135 aircraft, took place on December 21, the U.S. military said in a statement.

“We expect all countries in the Indo-Pacific region to use international airspace safely and in accordance with international law,” it added.

A U.S. military spokesperson said the Chinese jet came within 10 feet of the plane’s wing, but 20 feet from its nose, which caused the U.S. aircraft to take evasive maneuvers.

The U.S. has raised the issue with the Chinese government, a separate U.S. official said.

The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In the past, China has said the U.S. sending ships and aircraft into the South China Sea is not good for peace.

U.S. military planes and ships routinely carry out surveillance operations and travel through the region.

China claims vast swathes of the South China Sea that overlap with the exclusive economic zones of Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Trillions of dollars in trade flow every year through the waterway, which also contains rich fishing grounds and gas fields.

In a meeting with his Chinese counterpart in November, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin raised the need to improve crisis communications, and also noted what he called dangerous behavior by Chinese military planes.

Despite tensions between the U.S. and China, U.S. military officials have long sought to maintain open lines of communication with their Chinese counterparts to mitigate the risk of potential flare-ups or deal with any accidents.

Other countries report harassment

Australia’s defense department said in June that a Chinese fighter aircraft dangerously intercepted an Australian military surveillance plane in the South China Sea region in May.

Australia said the Chinese jet flew close in front of the RAAF aircraft and released a “bundle of chaff” containing small pieces of aluminum that were ingested into the Australian aircraft’s engine.

In June, Canada’s military accused Chinese warplanes of harassing its patrol aircraft as they monitored North Korea sanction evasions, sometimes forcing Canadian planes to divert from their flight paths.

Friction between China and U.S.

Relations between China and the U.S. have been tense, with friction between the world’s two largest economies over everything from Taiwan and China’s human rights record to its military activity in the South China Sea.

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan in August infuriated China, which saw it as a U.S. attempt to interfere in its internal affairs. China subsequently launched military drills near the island.

The U.S. has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan but is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.

Source: Voice of America

 

Product owners, managers, entrepreneurs, vendors, suppliers and importers in the country are advised to always be aware and be more sensitive of imported products sold to the public by ensuring that halal products are not mixed with the non-halal ones. This is following the result of an inspection made by the Syariah Affairs Department through the Halal Food Control Division on several food and drink products which contain non-halal ingredients sold at a number of supermarkets. The finding is from complaints made by the public.

 

The three products are Blueberry Chilli Blushing Blueberries White Wine Vinegar, Balsamic and Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette Praise Wine Vinegar as well as Coklat Pralines Excelcium Tradition Amaretto. In looking after the well-being of the country’s society, premise owners are instructed to immediately remove and separate the products to the Non-Halal Section which is not exposed to public sales. All importers, supermarkets and shops in the country are also advised to carry out the same action.

 

Any complaints or information on the sales of non-halal products in an open manner at business premises, contact the Syariah Affairs Department through the Halal Food Control Division at 716 6222 or any Halal Food Control Division offices in each district.

 

 

Source: Radio Television Brunei

 

A female foreigner was apprehended for allegedly being involved in immoral activities.

The 29-year old suspect was apprehended by personnel from the Anti-Vice and Gambling Suppression Unit and the Human Trafficking Investigation Unit, Royal Brunei Police Force for alleged solicitation during a raid at a room in the Jalan Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha area. The suspect is being investigated under Section 294A of the Penal Code, Chapter 22 for solicitation. The Royal Brunei Police Force is continuously monitoring and taking action on illegal criminal activities in the country.

Source: Radio Television Brunei

 

China has dismissed a report that Beijing has been developing at least four unoccupied features in the South China Sea. Some U.S. experts have also casted doubt on the claims.

A Bloomberg News report on Tuesday quoted unnamed Western officials as saying China is building up several unoccupied land features including Eldad Reef, Lankiam Cay, Whitsun Reef and Sandy Cay, all in the Spratly archipelago, also claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan.

China rejected the news, with the South China Sea Probing Initiative (SCSPI) think tank calling it “100% fake news.”

During a press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected Bloomberg’s report as “completely untrue.”

“Refraining from action on the presently uninhabited islands and reefs of the Nansha Islands is a serious common understanding reached by China and ASEAN countries in the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), and China always strictly abides by it,” Mao Ning said in response to a reporter’s question. China refers to the Spratlys as the Nansha islands.

However, the Philippines said Tuesday it had asked government agencies to investigate the report.

“We are seriously concerned as such activities contravene the Declaration of Conduct on the South China Sea’s undertaking on self-restraint and the 2016 Arbitral Award,” the Department of Foreign Affairs said, according to local media.

Beijing has already developed several artificial islands in the disputed South China Sea and fully militarized at least three of them with airfields, radars and hangars, but this new revelation may be “the first known instances of a nation doing so on territory it doesn’t already occupy,” reported Bloomberg.

The officials, who asked not to be identified so they could discuss sensitive information, told the news agency that “some sandbars and other formations in the area expanded more than ten times in size in recent years.”

The previously submerged features have now been exposed and reinforced to “sit permanently above the high-tide line,” according to the officials.

If true, this would be a major step towards changing the status quo in the South China Sea by Beijing, which claims “historical rights” to almost 90% of the sea as well as the islands and other land features inside it.

Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan also claim parts of the resource-rich sea.

Land formations

A UN tribunal in 2016 ruled that China’s claims in the South China Sea have no legal basis but Beijing has so far rejected the ruling.

China has developed at least seven artificial islands in the South China Sea, creating 3,200 acres (1,295 hectares) of new land since 2013, according to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

U.S. Indo-Pacific commander Adm. John C. Aquilino said in March that three of them – Mischief Reef, Subi Reef and Fiery Cross – appeared to be fully militarized and equipped with missile systems and fighter jets.

The AMTI, which keeps a close eye on developments in the South China Sea, has yet to report on any new activities by China.

“China has not occupied a new feature since December 1994 and has not built up anything it didn’t already occupy,” said AMTI director Greg Poling.

Poling said “commercial imagery cannot corroborate” the claims made in the Bloomberg report.

“All I can say for sure is that the sandbars at those four features have shifted over time but have on average been the same size. If there is evidence of construction, it must be very subtle and it must not be visible in commercial satellite imagery,” he told RFA.

Another expert, Taylor Fravel at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, pointed out that landforms appear and disappear in the South China Sea.

A report on Eldad Reef by the Center for International Law at the National University of Singapore (NUS) said “sand banks are dynamic and change location, size and shape under the combined effect of astronomic tides, storm surges and wind-waves.”

Dredging marks

Eldad Reef is a coral reef platform located at Tizard Bank in the northwestern part of the Spratly Islands.

China calls it Anda Jiao and Chinese vessels have reportedly been carrying out some dredging at the reef since 2014, as well as harvesting endangered giant clams, according to Philippine media which call it Malvar Reef.

The report by the NUS also said “dredging marks are visible on several sandy parts of the reef, totalling a surface area of 1.35 square meters [14.53 square feet].”

It is understood there has not been a large-scale reclamation of, or a man-made structure on, Eldad. The unoccupied reef is claimed by China, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam which calls it Da En Dat.

The Beijing-based SCSPI, responding to the Bloomberg report, said there are “no signs of land reclamation on Lankiam Cay, Eldad Reef and Whitsun Reef.”

Whitsun Reef, known as Julian Felipe Reef in the Phillipines, lies inside the Philippines exclusive economic zone, about 175 nautical miles (324 kilometres) west of the country.

Hundreds of Chinese vessels were “persistently swarming” the waters around the reef in March and April this year, prompting Manila to lodge several diplomatic protests.

Increased tensions in the South China Sea also led to another claimant, Vietnam, building up its outposts. Hanoi has created 520 acres (210 hectares) of new land in the Spratlys in the last ten years, 80% of which were reclaimed in 2022 alone, according to AMTI.

Vietnam’s total reclamation area to date is still less than 20% of China’s.

 

Radio Free Asia –Copyright © 1998-2016, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036Radio Free Europe–Copyright (c) 2015. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.

 

Vietnam has accelerated its island building in the South China Sea where China has fully militarized three of its artificial islands, with Hanoi reclaiming about 80% of new land in the last year, a new study found.

The report “Vietnam’s major Spratly expansion”, released by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said however that Vietnam’s total reclamation area to date is still less than 20% of China’s.

“Vietnam has created 520 acres [210 hectares] of new land in the Spratlys in the last ten years while China built 3,200 acres [1,295 hectares],” Greg Poling, AMTI’s director, told RFA.

Six parties – Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam – hold conflicting claims over the South China Sea and the islands in the sea but China’s claims are by far the most expansive.

Only China, the Philippines and Vietnam are known to have been reclaiming land for further construction on their occupied islands and reefs. Beijing is believed to have finished the construction and militarization of three of its artificial islands – Subi, Fiery Cross and Mischief Reef – all within the Spratly archipelago.

China has also fully developed Woody Island in the Paracel archipelago and uses it as the military and administrative capital for all of its claims in the South China Sea.

Vietnam and Taiwan also claim sovereignty over some islands in the Paracels but China occupies all of them.

 ‘Defensive reclamation’

AMTI’s report said Vietnam has expanded dredging and landfill work at several of its outposts in the Spratly Islands, creating roughly 420 acres (170 hectares) of new land in 2022 alone and bringing its total in the last ten years to 540 acres (219 hectares).

Namyit Island, Pearson Reef, Sand Cay, and Tennent Reef, which are called respectively Nam Yet, Phan Vinh, Son Ca and Tien Nu in Vietnamese, are identified as the most significantly developed outposts.

The expansion allows the outposts to host larger vessels, including military ships, the report said.

It said that new dredging and landfill work has also begun at another five features in the Spratlys which up to now only host small rigs and platforms.

Vietnam has 49 or 51 outposts spread across 27 features, AMTI said, adding that there is evidence of reclamation at ten of the features.

The development process “involves the use of clamshell dredgers and construction equipment to scoop up sections of shallow reef and deposit the sediment on the area targeted for landfill,” according to the report.

“This is a more time consuming and less arbitrarily destructive process than the cutter suction dredging that China used to build its artificial islands,” it said.

AMTI’s Poling said that in his opinion, Vietnam’s methods are “considerably less damaging to the wider environment, though of course destroying 520 acres of coral reef is still quite bad for the environment and fisheries.”

“I wouldn’t describe this as nearly as destabilizing as what China did as what matters most is what they’re used for,” said the analyst, adding that “China uses its islands to harass and coerce Southeast Asian countries.”

“If Vietnam’s buildup remains defensive, then it really isn’t the same,” he said.

For its part, Beijing accused Hanoi of reinforcing “illegally-held features” by land reclamation and military deployment, as well as “setting up defenses and operating on these islands and reefs.”

A Chinese think-tank, the South China Sea Probing Initiative, said in a report that as Vietnam tries” to trumpet that the islands and reefs of the Spratly Islands held by it are for civilian uses, they actually have a strong military dimension.”

“As the Vietnamese troops and civilians have become increasingly active in the Vietnamese-held islands and reefs as well as the surrounding waters, the risk of any friction and conflict couldn’t be belittled,” the report said.

PCA opens in Hanoi

Vietnam and China, haven’t responded to the new findings in the report but previously, Vietnamese official channels insisted that Hanoi adhere strictly to the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, as well as agreements with China and other regional countries.

Hanoi also repeatedly claimed its “indisputable sovereignty” over islands and reefs in the South China Sea, as well as challenging Beijing’s maritime claims.

In July 2016, a U.N. arbitral tribunal ruled against China’s historic rights claims within its so-called “nine-dash line” that encircles almost 90% of the South China Sea.

The tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague issued this arbitral award in response to a legal challenge brought against China in 2013 by the Philippines. China refused to participate in the arbitration, rejected the PCA’s ruling, and has continued to defend its claims.

In the latest development, the PCA has just formally opened an office in Hanoi, its second office in Asia after Singapore and the fifth outside of its headquarters in The Hague, according to a Dec. 1 press release.

Vietnam has said it did not rule out a possibility of bringing Beijing before an international tribunal similar to the Philippines’ 2013 lawsuit.

 

 

Radio Free Asia –Copyright © 1998-2016, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036Radio Free Europe–Copyright (c) 2015. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.

Three local companies were ordered to settle fines for failing to comply with Section 52 1, Income Tax Act Section 35. The companies failed to submit Income Tax Returns for the relevant Financial Years.

 

Ar-Barakah Sendirian Berhdd was fined $4,000 for failing to submit Income Tax Returns for the Financial Years 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. Savers International Sendirian Berhad was fined $4,000 for failing to submit Income Tax Returns for the Financial Years 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. GEIO Sendirian Berhad was fined $2,000 for failing to submit Income Tax Returns for the Financial Years 2019 and 2020.

 

The Revenue Division, Ministry of Finance and Economy reminds that the companies registered under the Companies Act, Chapter 39 are required to submit their Income Tax Returns latest by 30th June of the relevant Year of Assessment.

 

 

Source: Radio Television Brunei

 

Nine compound fines and six warning notices were issued to several business companies for violating the Price Control Act, Chapter 142 and the Regulations under it. The Department of Economic Planning and Statistics, DEPS, Ministry of Finance and Economy in its press release stated that the findings were from the DEPS daily routine enforcement through the Department of Consumer Affairs.

The companies were found to have committed an offence under the Price Control Act, Chapter 142, namely selling price-controlled items such as cooking oil and infant formula milk powder as well as subsidized items such as glutinous rice, exceeding the maximum set price; not displaying price tags for some items sold in the business premises and displaying price tags that are confusing and inconsistent with the prices recorded in the payment system.

DEPS in the meantime welcomes any complaint to be channelled through the correct method and official channel with supporting documents such as payment receipts and photos as evidence, to help carry out any follow-up action. More information on the Price Control Act, Chapter 142 can be obtained through the PenggunaBijak mobile application or the DEPS website, www.dpes.gov.bn.

 

 

Source: Radio Television Brunei