Current Affairs

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have been battling militants of the Islamic State (IS) and affiliates in Marawi City for five weeks. Several self-imposed deadlines to secure Marawi have fallen by the wayside in the face of stiff resistance by the militants. We discuss reasons behind the protracted conflict and the capacity of the AFP to quell the IS insurgents.

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Recently the National Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM) announced that it is launching an investigation into cases of missing persons disappearance of Pastor Raymond Koh, Amri Che Mat and Pastors Joshua and Ruth Hilmy. It has been over 4 months since Pastor Raymond Koh was last seen. CCTV footage suggests that we was abducted while driving along a busy Petaling Jaya highway.

Other cases of disappearances have since arisen, namely Amri Che Mat, a Muslim social activist allegedly snatched from his car on 24 November in Perlis, and couple Pastor Joshua and Ruth Hilmy, who were also last seen in November. The Inspector-General of Police in April stated that the cases of Amri Che Mat, Pastor Joshua Hilmy and Ruth Hilmy are being investigated as missing persons and not abductions. This has not quelled speculation however.

Today we ask what SUHAKAM hopes to achieve.

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Yesterday French voters went into the second round of parliamentary elections. President Emmanuelle Macron’s fledgling party, La Republique en Marche or Republic on the Move, has, as expected, secured a majority. It is a tremendous win for a party that was established just over a year ago, but against expectations, some opposition parties did well too. Today we ask if the unexpected opposition parties gains pose a risk to Macron’s policy agenda and its execution, and if the relative youth of his party will be a boon or prove a bane?

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It has been a week since the Miri High Court acquitted and discharged three of the four accused of the murder of activist Bill Kayong. The man directly involved in the shooting remains on trial. The prosecution’s failure to establish prima facie case against the three has shock many with over 30 civil society organisations expressing their dismay, calling it “a travesty of justice”. They released a joint statement criticizing the police and prosecution. Native Land Rights and PKR activist, Kayong was killed in June 2016; assassinated at a traffic light intersection on the Miri-Kuala Baram Bypass. Today we ask if enough was done to secure a conviction.

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Yesterday, the younger siblings of Singapore’s prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong released a six page statement accusing the premier of betraying the legacy of their father, Lee Kuan Yew. He in turn denied the allegations and noted that he was saddened by his siblings decision to "publicise private family matters”. He and his wife Ho Ching, also denied that they have political ambitions for their son. Today, we ask if the family feud has larger political significance.

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Last week the Court of Appeal sentenced nine Filipino citizens to death, overturning the Kota Kinabalu High Court’s life sentence on them last year. Their crime? Being part of the 2013 armed intrusion in Lahad Datu, Sabah. Fifty-six militants of the so-called "Royal Security Forces of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo", nine Malaysian security officers and six civilians were killed in the conflict. Today we try to understand the implications of this sentence might have for  stability in the Sulu region.

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This was an election for the Conservative party to lose. It started out with a comfortable 20 point lead in opinion polls. But this morning Exits polls are predicting a hung Parliament. While the Conservatives are expected to be the largest party, it might be 12 short of an overall majority. We ask if Theresa May will lose the leadership of her party and what political uncertainty will do for Britain’s negotiations with the European Union over the terms of a Brexit.

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On Monday Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed relations with Qatar and closed their airspace to commercial flights accusing it of financing extremist groups. The coalition against Qatar now stands at 9 countries. This rift has created uncertainties in the Middle East and is seen as stemming for regional rivalries primarily between the KSA and Iran.  Most recently the Turkish parliament passed legislation to allow for troop deployment in Qatar to support it. Zoltan Pall, Anthropologist and Research Fellow at National University of Singapore, shared with us his insight on the issue.

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In November last year a framework to finance and construct the East Coast Rail Line  (ECRL) was signed with China state-owned China Construction Communications Company.  The ECRL’s cost is estimated at approximately RM50 billion.On 15 March last year, the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) and East Coast Economic Region Development Council conducted a market sensing exercise to gauge market interest, seek views and ideas for the ECRL.Starting on the 8th of March this year, this plan was open for public inspection.

The process ends today and not everyone is happy. Recently six environmental groups issued a statement on their concerns with a call to extend the public scrutiny. We asked them why.

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At the recently concluded Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore, the conflict in Marawi City, in The Philippines and the proposed Trilateral patrolling of the Sulu Seas captured media attention. Added to this the recent attack in London and the diplomatic row between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Qatar is keeping the question of terrorism on top of the global agenda.

Today we asked if the conversation on preventing terrorism has moved forward; if the siege of Marawi City is significant; if the trilateral patrolling of the Sulu Seas is the answer to combating terrorism and if the regional tussle for hegemony between the KSA and Iran have any implications for the war against terror.

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