Japan’s Kishida, South Korea’s Yoon call to sustain momentum in improved ties

Update Japan’s Kishida, South Korea’s Yoon call to sustain momentum in improved ties
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Seoul on May 27, 2024. (Reuters)
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Updated 06 September 2024
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Japan’s Kishida, South Korea’s Yoon call to sustain momentum in improved ties

Japan’s Kishida, South Korea’s Yoon call to sustain momentum in improved ties
  • Relations between the two staunch US regional allies had sunk to their lowest level in decades
  • Fumio Kishida emphasized the need to continue efforts to advance bilateral ties

SEOUL: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called on Friday at a summit in Seoul to keep up the momentum behind an improvement in relations, which will be tested by imminent changes of leaders in Tokyo and Washington.

Kishida’s final, whirlwind trip to his neighbor as prime minister came as the two leaders seek to seal their newfound partnership after orchestrating an about-face in ties, prodded by US President Joe Biden.

Relations between the two staunch US regional allies had sunk to their lowest level in decades amid acrimonious diplomatic and trade disputes over Japan’s 1910-45 occupation of the Korean Peninsula.

Kishida emphasized the need to continue efforts to advance bilateral ties, once again expressing sympathy for Koreans who suffered during Japanese colonial rule.

“There is a lot of history ... but it is very important to inherit the efforts of our predecessors who overcame difficult times, and cooperate toward the future,” Kishida told Yoon at the meeting.

“I’ve also said here in Seoul that I feel heartbroken that so many people have had such difficult, sad experiences in such difficult circumstances,” he added, referring to his earlier comments during a visit last year.

Yoon also called for sustaining the positive momentum of cooperation built by the leaders, saying next year could provide “a turning point” for the relationship to take a leap forward marking its 60th anniversary.

“There are still difficult issues remaining in Korea-Japan relations. I hope that both sides will continue to work together with a forward-looking attitude so that we can continue to take steps toward a brighter future.”

The two welcomed the signing of an agreement to facilitate the evacuation of each other’s citizens from an emergency in a third country, which Kishida called a symbol of growing trust.

They also agreed to work together to simplify immigration procedures for travelers, and ensure that North Korea cannot utilize Russia’s backing to stage more provocations, according to Yoon’s deputy national security adviser, Kim Tae-hyo.

Kishida has announced he will step down this month and Japan’s governing Liberal Democratic Party will hold elections on Sept. 27 to choose his successor.

He is due to return to Tokyo on Saturday after dining with Yoon on Friday night, their offices said.

LOOMING ELECTION UNCERTAINTY

Yoon has made it a diplomatic priority to mend ties with Tokyo and improve security cooperation including with Washington to tackle North Korea’s military threats, which led to a historic trilateral summit at Camp David last year.

Ahead of looming elections in Japan and the US, however, there is a lingering question whether the Asian neighbors can maintain the kind of genuine rapprochement that will put their historic woes behind with new leaders in place.

Kishida told Yoon that the importance of bilateral ties would not change regardless of who succeeded him and pledged to help maintain the momentum even after leaving office, Kim said.

Washington is confident Kishida’s successor will be as committed to continuing the renewed alliance and that “all of these projects we’ve been working on together are going to continue at pace under new leadership” said Mira Rapp-Hooper, a senior official at the White House National Security Council.

“Both Prime Minister Kishida and President Yoon took on a great deal of personal risk and political risk to move forward the warming of their bilateral ties in ways that prior governments just hadn’t been able to accomplish.”

Kim Hyoung-zhin, a former South Korean deputy foreign minister, said Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump took a more hands-off approach toward the partnership with Seoul and Tokyo when in office, while his Democratic rival Kamala Harris would likely keep Biden’s course if elected.


Zelensky to attend defense talks in Germany with Biden

Zelensky to attend defense talks in Germany with Biden
Updated 31 sec ago
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Zelensky to attend defense talks in Germany with Biden

Zelensky to attend defense talks in Germany with Biden
  • Military meeting at the US air base in Ramstein near Frankfurt is expected to bring together more than 50 of Ukraine’s allies
  • Russian forces have been advancing steadily in eastern Ukraine this year against outmanned and outgunned Ukrainian troops
KYIV: President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday he would attend an international meeting to discuss military support for Ukraine to be held in Germany next week.
The military meeting at the US air base in Ramstein near Frankfurt is expected to bring together more than 50 of Ukraine’s allies, including US President Joe Biden.
“We are preparing for the 25th Ramstein meeting on October 12, which will be the first to take place at the leaders’ level,” he said on social media.
Zelensky said he would present “clear, concrete steps toward a just end of the war,” adding that Russia could be stopped by “the determination of our partners and the strengthening of Ukraine.”
The last meeting in September, also at Ramstein, was attended by Zelensky, who appealed for additional weapons to repel advancing Russian forces.
The gathering will come at a crucial juncture for Ukraine ahead of the US election next month, which could upend the support that Kyiv receives from its biggest backer.
Republican candidate Donald Trump has long been critical of the billions of dollars the United States has given to Ukraine and has echoed Russian talking points about the conflict.
Ukraine meanwhile has upped the pressure on its Western supporters to be given authorization to use donated long-range weapons to strike military targets deep inside Russia.
Russian forces have been advancing steadily in eastern Ukraine this year against outmanned and outgunned Ukrainian troops.

Long waits for Canadian visas leave Gazans in limbo

Long waits for Canadian visas leave Gazans in limbo
Updated 46 min 57 sec ago
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Long waits for Canadian visas leave Gazans in limbo

Long waits for Canadian visas leave Gazans in limbo
  • Canada pledged temporary residency for up to 5,000 Gazans in May
  • Just over 300 arrived since program first launched in January

TORONTO: Reem Alyazouri’s escape from a bombarded Gaza City through Egypt ended in Toronto on Sept. 4.
But as she and her family wrestle with applications for work permits and health insurance, her mother and father remain stuck in Cairo waiting for Canadian visas after fleeing Israel’s war in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza seven months ago.
“My mind is busy with my parents,” she said. “I feel guilty, believe me. When I came here and I left them behind they told us, ‘Go and start your life. ... Don’t worry about us.’“
The family is trying to come to Canada through a temporary residence program for Gazans with relatives here. Alyazouri’s brother Hani Abushomar, a Canadian citizen, applied for six of his family members to join him in Canada hours after the program was launched in January.
Nine months and a harrowing exit from Gaza later, his mother and father remain stranded in Cairo. They completed the last major step of the visa application process — submitting biometric information — six months ago.
They are among thousands of Palestinians waiting for visas from Canada, a country that prides itself on welcoming people from around the world.
Canada said in May it would bring in up to 5,000 Gazans — expanding on a pledge in December to take in 1,000 from the Palestinian enclave. Months later, just over 300 have arrived, with 698 applications approved out of over 4,200 submitted.
Reuters spoke with multiple applicants who said they have been waiting for months since submitting biometric information, dashing their hopes of a swift reunion with relatives in Canada.
Canada has made no promises on how long it would to take to process visas for Gazans fleeing the conflict and says it has little control over who is able to leave the enclave.
A cross-border attack by Hamas militants on Oct. 7 last year, in which Israel says 1,200 people were killed and over 250 taken hostage, ignited the war that has flattened most of Gaza, displacing most of its 2.3 million people and killing more than 41,800 people, according to Gaza health authorities.
Canada’s focus “is on keeping families together and bringing them to safety as quickly as possible,” immigration department spokesperson Julie Lafortune wrote in an email. The primary barrier is getting out of Gaza, she added.
Application processing times vary “based on the details and complexity of each file, and many factors are outside of the IRCC’s control,” Lafortune said, referring to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada department.
The immigration department would not say how many applicants have submitted biometric information and are waiting in Egypt.
Barriers to entry
Immigration lawyers say the wait for Gazans is longer than those faced by other groups fleeing conflict or disaster, and that the small numbers approved contrast with hundreds of thousands of visas granted to Ukrainians under a similar program offering temporary status.
One Canadian immigration expert said some of the visa requirements for Gazans — such as having to provide employment information dating back to when they were 16 — are unusual.
“Canada has a lot of experience in designing temporary, ad hoc programs and this one has an inordinate amount of barriers and hurdles for people to meet,” said University of Ottawa law professor Jamie Chai Yun Liew, who focuses on immigration.
Liew said the Gaza program is moving slower than other Canadian temporary immigration programs, including those for Ukranians and survivors of the 2023 earthquake in Syria and Turkiye.
As of April, Canada had approved nearly 963,000 applications under the Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel since March 2022. So far nearly 300,000 people have arrived in Canada under that program.
Australia has granted about 3,000 visitor visas to people from Gaza since October 2023 and about 1,300 have arrived in the country, said Graham Thom, advocacy coordinator with the Refugee Council of Australia, a research and advocacy group.
’Everything is uncertain’
Gazans who have managed to get to Egypt live in limbo, surviving off savings or donations, without access to government services, said immigration lawyer Debbie Rachlis, adding she represents dozens in that position. Many are survivors of trauma.
They beat the odds just by getting that far, and for most, the escape came at great personal risk. The Gaza City neighborhood where Alyazouri and Abushomar’s family lived has been “erased,” he said. They were forced to flee from their home multiple times. Alyazouri’s daughter was injured.
“Something in my heart is broken,” Alyazouri said.
The Canadian government said it continues to put forward the names of applicants to local Israeli officials, “but does not ultimately decide who can exit Gaza.”
“Israel has agreed to Canada’s request to the exit of extended family members in Gaza as part of their expanding humanitarian efforts. However, at present, the Rafah border crossing is closed,” Lafortune wrote, referring to the main entry point between Gaza and Egypt.
Abushomar has been waiting with his mother and father for visas in Egypt, where people in their position lack papers to work, access health care or open a bank account. He says he will eventually have to return to Canada to work and worries for his parents, especially his mother, who has dementia and joint problems.
For now, Abushomar says, “Everything is uncertain.”


Indian troops kill 31 suspected Maoist rebels in forest battle

Indian troops kill 31 suspected Maoist rebels in forest battle
Updated 05 October 2024
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Indian troops kill 31 suspected Maoist rebels in forest battle

Indian troops kill 31 suspected Maoist rebels in forest battle
  • Fighting erupted when counterinsurgency troops, acting on intelligence, cornered nearly 50 suspected rebels
  • The Indian military has been battling the Maoist rebels across several central and northern states since 1967

PATNA: At least 31 suspected Maoist rebels were killed in a battle with Indian troops in central India, police said Saturday.
The fighting erupted on Friday when counterinsurgency troops, acting on intelligence, cornered nearly 50 suspected rebels in the Abhujmaad forest area along the border of Narayanpur and Dantewada districts in Chhattisgarh state, said state police Inspector General Pattilingam Sundarraj.
Sundarraj said the operation was launched on Thursday, and the battle began the next day, lasting about nine hours. He said search operations were continuing in the area and that the troops had recovered some arms and ammunition, including automatic rifles. There were no reports of casualties among the troops.
There was no immediate statement from the rebels.
Indian soldiers have been battling the Maoist rebels across several central and northern states since 1967, when the militants, also known as Naxalites, began fighting to demand more jobs, land and wealth from natural resources for the country’s poor indigenous communities. The insurgents are inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong.
Years of neglect have isolated many local villagers, who face a lack of jobs, schools and health care clinics, making them open to overtures by the rebels. The rebels speak the same tribal languages as many local villagers and have promised to fight for a better future especially in Chhattisgarh, one of India’s poorest states despite its vast mineral riches.
Authorities say at least 171 militants have been killed so far this year in Chhattisgarh.
Friday’s fighting was the deadliest clash this year.
In April, government forces killed at least 29 suspected Maoist rebels in in Chhattisgarh, three days ahead of the start of India’s national election.
The rebels have ambushed police, destroyed government offices and abducted officials. They’ve also blown up train tracks, attacked prisons to free their comrades and stolen weapons from police and paramilitary warehouses to arm themselves.


Floods inundate Thailand’s northern tourist city of Chiang Mai

Floods inundate Thailand’s northern tourist city of Chiang Mai
Updated 05 October 2024
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Floods inundate Thailand’s northern tourist city of Chiang Mai

Floods inundate Thailand’s northern tourist city of Chiang Mai
  • Dozens of shelters were set up across the city to accommodate residents whose home were flooded
  • Flooding was reported in 20 Thai provinces on Saturday, mostly in the north

BANGKOK: Chiang Mai, Thailand’s northern city popular with tourists, was inundated by widespread flooding Saturday as its main river overflowed its banks following heavy seasonal rainfall.
Authorities ordered some evacuations and said they were working to pump water out of residential areas and clear obstructions from waterways and drains to help water recede faster.
Dozens of shelters were set up across the city to accommodate residents whose home were flooded. The Chiang Mai city government said the water level of the Ping River, which runs along the eastern edge of the city, was at critically high levels and was rising since Friday.
However, the provincial irrigation office on Saturday forecast that the water level was likely to remain stable and recede to normal in about five days.
Thai media reported that efforts to evacuate elephants and other animals from several sanctuaries and parks on the outskirts of the city were continuing Saturday. About 125 elephants along with other animals were taken to safety from the Elephant Nature Park, from where some escaped on their own to seek higher ground. About 10 animal shelters in the area have been flooded.
Chiang Mai Gov. Nirat Pongsitthavorn said that the latest flooding, the second in six weeks, exceeded expectations.
Thailand’s state railway suspended service to Chiang Mai, with trains on the northern line from Bangkok terminating at Lampang, about 1-1/2 hours ride to the south. Chiang Mai International Airport said it was operating as usual on Saturday.
Flooding was reported in 20 Thai provinces on Saturday, mostly in the north. At least 49 people have died and 28 were injured in floods since August, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said.
In the Thai capital Bangkok, the government said Saturday it will let more water flow out of the Chao Phraya Dam in the central province of Chai Nat over the next seven days, as it risks exceeding it capacity. The release of the water may affect residents downstream who live near waterways in Thailand’s central region, including Bangkok and surrounding areas.


Indian troops kill 31 suspected Maoist rebels in forest battle

Indian troops kill 31 suspected Maoist rebels in forest battle
Updated 05 October 2024
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Indian troops kill 31 suspected Maoist rebels in forest battle

Indian troops kill 31 suspected Maoist rebels in forest battle
  • Counterinsurgency troops cornered nearly 50 suspected rebels in the Abhujmaad forest area along the border of Narayanpur and Dantewada districts in Chhattisgarh state
  • Indian soldiers have been battling the Maoist rebels across several central and northern states since 1967, when the militants began fighting to demand more jobs, land and wealth

PATNA, India: At least 31 suspected Maoist rebels were killed in a battle with Indian troops in central India, police said Saturday.
The fighting erupted on Friday when counterinsurgency troops, acting on intelligence, cornered nearly 50 suspected rebels in the Abhujmaad forest area along the border of Narayanpur and Dantewada districts in Chhattisgarh state, said state police Inspector General Pattilingam Sundarraj.
Sundarraj said the operation was launched on Thursday, and the battle began the next day, lasting about nine hours. He said search operations were continuing in the area and that the troops had recovered some arms and ammunition, including automatic rifles. There were no reports of casualties among the troops.
There was no immediate statement from the rebels.
Indian soldiers have been battling the Maoist rebels across several central and northern states since 1967, when the militants, also known as Naxalites, began fighting to demand more jobs, land and wealth from natural resources for the country’s poor indigenous communities. The insurgents are inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong.
Years of neglect have isolated many local villagers, who face a lack of jobs, schools and health care clinics, making them open to overtures by the rebels. The rebels speak the same tribal languages as many local villagers and have promised to fight for a better future especially in Chhattisgarh, one of India’s poorest states despite its vast mineral riches.
Authorities say at least 171 militants have been killed so far this year in Chhattisgarh.
Friday’s fighting was the deadliest clash this year.
In April, government forces killed at least 29 suspected Maoist rebels in in Chhattisgarh, three days ahead of the start of India’s national election.
The rebels have ambushed police, destroyed government offices and abducted officials. They’ve also blown up train tracks, attacked prisons to free their comrades and stolen weapons from police and paramilitary warehouses to arm themselves.