South
Southeast Asian nations meet to discuss Burmese civil war, South China Sea conflicts
China’s increasingly assertive posture in the South China Sea and escalating violence in Burma topped the agenda for Southeast Asian diplomats at their meeting in Laos on Monday, with the Laotian foreign minister expressing guarded optimism that progress could be made this year on both acrimonious issues.
Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith told reporters that Thailand was moving ahead with plans to provide more humanitarian assistance to Burma, where more than 2.6 million people have been displaced by civil war.
He said it was a good sign that the military leaders who seized control of Burma in February 2021 from the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi had for the first time sent a high-level representative to attend the meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers in the historic city of Luang Prabang in Laos.
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“We feel a little bit optimistic that the engagement may work, although we have to admit that the issues that are happening in Burma will not resolve overnight,” Saleumxay said. “I think there is probably a small light at the end of the tunnel.”
Burma has been prohibited from sending its foreign minister or any political representative to high-level ASEAN meetings since the end of 2021, when it blocked the group’s envoy from meeting with Suu Kyi. Instead, it has sent non-political representatives to lower-level working meetings but has refused to send anyone to high-level meetings.
In Laos, however, it sent a Foreign Ministry civil servant, ASEAN Permanent Secretary Marlar Than Htike, which Saleumxay called “a positive sign.”
Representatives of participating countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are seen here posing for a photograph at a retreat meeting in Luang Prabang, Laos, on Jan. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
ASEAN member nations Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Burma, Cambodia, Brunei and Laos have a combined population of nearly 650 million and GDP of more than $3 trillion.
Landlocked Laos, which has taken over this year’s rotating ASEAN leadership, is the bloc’s poorest nation and one of its smallest, and many have expressed skepticism about how much it can accomplish while the crises mount.
Still, it is the first ASEAN country that shares a border with Burma to serve as chair since the military took control of the country, giving it a perspective different from that of previous chairs.
Laos has already sent a special envoy to Burma for meetings with the head of the ruling military council and other top officials in an attempt to make progress on ASEAN’s “five-point consensus” plan for peace.
The plan calls for the immediate cessation of violence in Burma, a dialogue among all concerned parties, mediation by an ASEAN special envoy, provision of humanitarian aid through ASEAN channels, and a visit to Burma by the special envoy to meet all concerned parties.
The military leadership in Burma has so far ignored the plan, and the violence and humanitarian crisis has been growing at a rapid pace.
Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan told reporters after the meeting that it was “helpful” to have a representative from Burma attend again, but that he would not say he was optimistic Burma would take concrete steps to implement the plan.
“If you take reference from the past, it can sometimes take a very long time for positive change to occur,” he said. “I do not want to raise hopes or expectations unrealistically.”
Saleumxay said ASEAN would continue to push for full implementation of the consensus while also increasing humanitarian support.
“We think humanitarian assistance is the priority for the immediate period of time when implementing the five-point consensus,” he said. “We welcome in this regard the efforts by the Thai government to … try to create a humanitarian corridor where support and assistance can be provided to all Burmese people.”
Communist Laos is one of the ASEAN countries with the closest ties to China, and some have speculated it may look to its giant neighbor for help in dealing with the crisis in Burma, where Beijing also wields considerable influence.
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China has said it will not interfere in the internal affairs of other states, however, and it is also unknown whether it taking on such a role would be acceptable to other ASEAN members.
ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei are locked in maritime disputes with China over its claims of sovereignty over virtually all of the South China Sea, one of the world’s most crucial waterways for shipping. Indonesia has also expressed concern about what it sees as Beijing’s encroachment on its exclusive economic zone.
An estimated $5 trillion in international trade passes through the South China Sea each year, which has led China into direct confrontations, most notably with the Philippines and Vietnam.
The ASEAN meeting in Laos came on the same day that Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, was meeting with officials in Vietnam, among other things to discuss the ongoing tensions in the South China Sea.
The Philippines has been looking for more support from its ASEAN neighbors amid increasingly tense hostilities with China, which many worry could escalate into a broader conflict that could involve Washington, Manila’s longtime treaty ally.
The Philippine government protested the Chinese coast guard’s use of water cannons, a military-grade laser and dangerous blocking maneuvers that caused minor collisions off Philippine-occupied Second Thomas Shoal.
China and ASEAN agreed in 2002 and 2012 to a declaration on conduct in the South China Sea, seeking to “enhance favorable conditions for a peaceful and durable solution of differences and disputes,” but there has been little sign of adherence to that in recent years.
In Luang Prabang, the group “underscored the importance of the full and effective” implementation of the declaration, according to a statement issued by Laos after the talks.
“We reaffirmed the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, security, stability, safety and freedom of navigation in, and overflight above, the South China Sea,” it said.
Under last year’s chair, Indonesia, ASEAN agreed with China on guidelines to accelerate negotiations for a South China Sea code of conduct, but that has yet to produce results.
In the talks Monday, Saleumxay said several ASEAN nations brought up the tensions in the South China Sea and that Laos hoped to have a third reading of the code of conduct with China “as soon as possible.”
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“That would create an environment where both ASEAN member states, especially the claimant states, and China can build more trust and confidence,” he said. “Whatever happens in the South China Sea should be resolved in a peaceful manner through dialogue and consultations.”
Saleumxay said all sides with claims in the South China Sea need to respect the United Nations convention on the law of the sea.
Under that convention, a U.N.-backed tribunal ruled in 2016 that China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea on historical grounds were invalid and that Beijing had violated the right of Filipinos to fish in the shoal.
China has refused to participate in the arbitration, rejected its outcome and continues to defy it.
Dallas, TX
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Miami, FL
Patients left scrambling for care after Miami-Dade woman accused of operating an unlicensed surgery recovery center
A 38-year-old woman is behind bars after authorities say she operated an unlicensed plastic surgery recovery center out of an Airbnb in southwest Miami-Dade County, leaving several patients scrambling for care after her arrest.
Kerri Smith faces charges of operating an assisted living facility without a license and an organized scheme to defraud. Investigators say she collected more than $200,000 from clients seeking post-surgical care. Her arrest disrupted the recoveries of at least six women who were staying at the home after undergoing cosmetic procedures.
“I’m really disappointed. Extremely disappointed,” said Janell Dunn, one of the patients who traveled from Orlando for surgery and aftercare.
Dunn said that during her five-day stay, she saw about 12 women cycle through the property. She described chaos unfolding when deputies arrived to arrest a caretaker. “We were all looking at each other like, ‘What are we going to do now?’” Dunn said.
Authorities allege the operation was unsafe and poorly managed. In court, a prosecutor cited complaints of overcrowding, bug infestations, rodents, and improper handling of medical waste.
Despite those allegations, Smith told a judge she had been working to bring the business into compliance, stating, “I got educated. Hired a consultant.”
Patients, however, say they were left with little warning to find new accommodations after paying thousands of dollars for post-operative care. Dunn said she struggled physically in the aftermath, forced to move and lift items despite being in the early stages of recovery.
“I’ve been pushing, pulling, tugging, doing things I shouldn’t be doing at this point,” she said.
Some women booked hotel rooms after being forced out. Tonita Caban, a woman with experience caring for post-surgery patients, took in Dunn. Caban said she couldn’t turn Dunn away after hearing her story through a social media group for post-op patients. She calls Dunn an “angel”.
“And you’re here with me, and you’ll always be my little sister,” Caban told her. “Someone you can count on.” Caban said she is not charging Dunn for her stay, acknowledging the money she already lost to Smith’s now-shuttered operation.
Smith remained in custody at TGK on Wednesday evening.
Atlanta, GA
As FIFA World Cup nears, some MARTA riders raise safety concerns after recent attacks on transit system
Multiple recent attacks on MARTA have some riders questioning how safe they will feel using Atlanta’s public transit system as the city prepares to welcome thousands of visitors for the FIFA World Cup.
The tournament is expected to bring an unprecedented influx of travelers to metro Atlanta, putting additional attention on MARTA’s ability to safely move residents and visitors throughout the region.
Many Atlantans rely on MARTA every day as their primary mode of transportation.
“I ride the system every day to go to work and other places,” MARTA rider Joshua Hudson told CBS News Atlanta.
“It is kind of unsafe on the weekends, but weekdays it’s pretty fine,” rider Kimiya Sawanat said.
Concerns about transit safety intensified after a woman was fatally stabbed aboard a MARTA train on May 30. The attack prompted some riders to question what additional steps MARTA can take to prevent violence, particularly as the city prepares for major international events.
Several riders told CBS News Atlanta they would like to see more police officers stationed throughout the system, especially at high-traffic stations. While they acknowledged concerns about safety, many said they believe MARTA can strengthen its security strategies ahead of the World Cup.
“We have been on the trains when the Braves play, and it is packed, but this is going to be a different level. It is almost like the Olympics all over again,” Hudson said.
MARTA officials said the agency plans to enhance security during the World Cup by utilizing its Emergency Response Center, deploying its mobile command vehicle and increasing officer presence at stations. MARTA also expects support from law enforcement agencies across the region.
“I’m concerned but not worried,” Hudson said. “I think it will be a good time, but we just have to do public safety.”
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