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2016/06/09

Japan's Choices re Taiwan; Khmer Opposition Calls a Timeout; #1MDB Blowback in Singapore; Honolulu Race to Run on Rails



Japan Times:
“The critical question for Abe is how he balances his diplomacy toward Taiwan with that toward China,” Bush said. “It seems he wants to improve both. That’s not so easy when Taiwan (and) China are not so friendly.” 
Bush’s colleague at Brookings, Evans J.R. Revere, takes a different tack, warning against an overly hawkish interpretation of closer Japan-Taiwan ties, noting that relations between the two have long been good, and were so under the previous Ma administration, which negotiated the fisheries pact. 
What counts going forward are the “specific initiatives Japan is prepared to take,” Revere said.


Radio Free Asia:
Kem Sokha’s appeal came amid continuing reports that the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP)-dominated government is still making it difficult for CNRP members to collect thumbprints on a petition asking King Norodom Sihamoni to seek the release of human rights and political activists arrested by the government. 
Phnom Penh police detained a CNRP district councilor for three hours on Tuesday after she asked her constituents to place their thumbprints on the petition. Thumbprints take the place of signatures in Cambodia. 
CNRP Veal Vong commune councilor Hem Han was detained after police stopped her from collecting thumbprints, she told RFA’s Khmer Service. Her detention sparked a protest.


Free Malaysia Today:
The actions by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) in forcing BSI to close its operations, charging one official and referring six top officials of the bank to the public prosecutor for possible criminal prosecution, however, sends a strong message: don’t fool around with us. 
MAS found that BSI had committed “serious breaches of anti-money laundering requirements, poor management oversight of the bank’s operations, and gross misconduct by some of the bank’s staff”, all in relation to the bank’s dealings with Malaysia’s state-owned investment firm 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB). 
Channel News Asia (CNA) quoted Dane Chamorro of consulting firm Control Risks as saying: “Because of the nature of private banking and the types of accounts, clients and money it tends to attract, it does come with a different risk profile than, say, if you are establishing yourself as a securities hub or fixed income hub.


Hawaii News Now:
Cayetano believes Djou can capitalize on that the growing dissatisfaction."In the mayor's race, over 100,000 people voted for me and a lot of them, I think, have buyer's remorse because I can hardly go anywhere without someone coming up to me saying, 'I'm sorry I didn't vote for you. You were right,'" Cayetano said. 
Former Mayor Mufi Hannemann said running against the rail project is a bad idea."I've always maintained that if someone runs on an anti-rail platform to basically stop rail, I don't think they're going to be successful. History has shown that," Hannemann said. 
But Hannemann said he likes Djou's chances.


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