INDEPENDENT 2024-12-24 00:09:26


North Korea suffers ‘1,100 casualties’ fighting for Russia

North Korean troops have reportedly suffered heavy casualties while fighting for Russia in Ukraine, according to South Korea‘s spy agency, which also claimed to have detected signs of Pyongyang preparing to send additional soldiers and kamikaze drones to Moscow.

At least 12,000 North Korean soldiers are fighting in Russia’s nearly three-year-long war against Ukraine, according to Seoul, Washington and Kyiv.

The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) on Monday said at least 100 North Korean soldiers have died while another 1,000 suffered injuries in the bordering Kursk region, where Moscow’s forces have been battling a Ukrainian ground incursion since August.

Last week, the South claimed the North’s leader Kim Jong Un was personally overseeing the training of soldiers to be sent to the frontline to fight for Russia.

North Korea has already provided 240mm multiple rocket launchers and 170mm self-propelled howitzers, and was seen preparing to produce more suicide drones to be shipped to Russia after Mr Kim guided a test last month, the South’s military said.

“Suicide drones are one of the tasks that Kim Jong Un has focused on,” a JCS official said, adding that the North had expressed its intention to give them to Russia.

Such drones have been widely used in the Ukraine war, and Mr Kim ordered mass production of aerial weapons and an update of military theory and education, citing intensifying global competition.

The US and nine other countries have condemned Pyongyang’s alleged export of ballistic missiles and other military equipment to Russia for use in the Ukraine war in a joint statement on Monday. The North’s direct support for the Russian war effort, they said, marked a “dangerous expansion of the conflict”.

North Korea’s foreign ministry said its relationship with Russia was being “distorted” by the West, calling its alliance with Moscow “normal” and “very effective”.

Along the heavily fortified Korean border, the North has dispatched up to 10,000 soldiers to turn the area into a wasteland and install barriers and barbed wire in recent weeks, though the numbers fell to several hundred over the weekend, the South said.

The JCS released photos that it claimed showed a group of North Korean troops testing an electrified wire fence using a goat. It also noted that there is a possibility that the North will test-fire an intermediate-range hypersonic missile around year-end, ahead of US president-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, while continuing to send more garbage balloons to the South.

Additional reporting by agencies

Japan’s former emperor Akihito turns 91

Japan’s former emperor Akihito celebrated his 91st birthday on Monday by spending most of his time caring for his wife who is recovering from a broken leg, according to reports.

The former emperor, who abdicated the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019, has been spending his days reading newspapers and watching television during meals to keep abreast of domestic and world affairs, the Imperial Household Agency said.

He has also been caring for Japan’s former empress Michiko, who underwent surgery for a broken right femur after losing her balance and falling at her residence in October. The empress emeritus is still recovering but she can walk without using a walking stick, the Japan Times reported.

Since abdicating the throne, the couple has largely withdrawn from public appearance to enjoy their life together, taking daily walks inside the palace gardens or occasionally taking private trips, hosting small gatherings for book reading and music, the agency previously said.

The former emperor is reportedly concerned about the extensive damage in the Noto Peninsula, which was hit by a powerful earthquake on New Year’s Day 2024, killing about 280 people.

The agency said the former emperor and empress continue to observe a moment of silence each year on days commemorating the Okinawa Memorial Day, the anniversaries of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the anniversary of Japan’s surrender.

The couple retired after Akihito abdicated and their son, Emperor Naruhito, ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne. His wife, Masako, became empress. He won overwhelming public support for stepping down from a role with symbolic but no real political power, and the nation celebrated the imperial succession.

The couple broke with traditions and brought many changes to the monarchy: They chose to raise their three children themselves, spoke more often to the public, and made amends for war victims in and outside Japan. Their close interactions have won them deep affection among the Japanese.

Akihito had devoted his three-decades-long reign to making amends for a war fought in his father’s name while bringing the aloof monarchy closer to the people. His era was the first in Japan’s modern history without war.

Akihito continues to actively research the classification of Japanese freshwater goby fish at a palace laboratory and his residence, officials said.

China warns US ‘playing with fire’ by supplying weapons to Taiwan

China has warned the US that sending weapons to Taiwan is akin to “playing with fire” and risks severe consequences.

The US recently announced $571.3m (£473m) in military assistance to the island and approved $295m in arms sales.

A spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry said on Sunday that the move violates the “One China” principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, Global Times reported. The principle lays down that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China to be unified one day.

The decision to send more weapons is also a breach of commitments made by US leaders to not support “Taiwan independence” and sends a gravely wrong signal to “separatist forces” on the island, the state media outlet quoted the spokesperson as saying.

To aid Taiwan’s independence by arming the island is like playing with fire and will get the US burned, it said.

In any case, the outlet added, the strategy of using “the Taiwan question” to contain China is doomed to fail.

Beijing has lodged a formal protest with Washington against the arms sales. It has also urged the US to immediately stop arming Taiwan and put an end to moves that undermine peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

“We will take all measures necessary to firmly defend national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity,” the spokesperson said.

China sanctioned five Western arms manufacturers earlier this year after a previous round of American weapons sales to Taiwan.

The Joe Biden administration’s military assistance package for Taiwan, the third this year, comes alongside the sale of upgraded tactical systems and naval weaponry. Chinese strategic analysts have dismissed the significance of the new weapons for Taiwan but noted their cost and accused the US of exploiting the island to benefit its arms manufacturers.

Tensions in the Taiwan Strait remain at boiling point, with Beijing ramping up military drills near the island in October in what it described as “punishment” for president Lai Ching-te vowing to “resist annexation” or “encroachment upon our sovereignty”.’

China considers Taiwan as its own territory and president Xi Jinping has vowed to unify the island with the mainland, by force if necessary.

Thailand Oscars entry is taking the world by storm – where to watch it

Thai blockbuster How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, one of the 15 films shortlisted under the International Feature Film category at the Oscars, will be released in cinemas across the UK and Ireland next week.

The only Southeast Asian film shortlisted in its category, How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies has been a hit both at the domestic box office and with critics. Grossing an estimated $78.3m worldwide, the film has become the highest-grossing Thai film of 2024 and eleventh-highest of all time in the country even, as well as breaking box office records in other Asian countries.

The family drama is Thai director Pat Boonnitipat‘s feature film debut, and follows a cancer-stricken woman named Mengju (Usha Seamkhum) and her college dropout grandson M (Putthipong ‘Billkin’ Assaratanakul), who volunteers to take care of her in the hope of an inheritance. There are others also in the running: Mengju’s conscientious daughter and single parent to M, Sew (Sarinrat Thomas), well-to-do son Kiang (Sanya Kunakorn), and youngest son Soei (Pongsatorn Jongwilas), who desperately needs money to pay off his gambling debts.

The film was released in Thailand on 4 April and released internationally in competition at the 23rd New York Asian Film Festival on 17 July. It came to the attention of a broader audience online earlier this year after Tiktokers posted videos of themselves crying after watching the film.

Clips posted to social media showed theatre workers handing out tissues prior to the film screening, which added to the curiosity around the film.

Co-writer Thodsapon Thiptinnakorn based the film on his relationship with his own grandmother, while Boonnitipat drew on his mother’s life.

“The mother in the movie is based on my own mother,” he told the Financial Times. “She always catches everyone in the family when they fall, but who catches her? . . . I wanted to question what it means to love your family when there are so many unspoken hierarchies.”

Leads Seamkhum and Assaratanakul have received praise from critics, especially considering this was the first major role for both. Seamkhum, 78, was discovered in a video of a seniors’ dance contest, while Assaratanakul is a popular Thai singer who has acted in sitcoms before.

The film’s themes of love, duty, and family have touched a chord that seems to be universal.

“People were telling me that the movie, which is about a traditional Chinese family, will naturally do well in a Mandarin-speaking country. But when it did well in Indonesia, I realised that the story is universal,” Boonnitipat said at a screening of the film in Singapore.

“Everyone can relate to the bond between a grandmother and her grandson.”

On M’s motivations for choosing the role of carer and the journey he goes on, Boonnitipat explained how money often ties in with love in families: “Love and money so often become substituted for one another. From when you are a child, you receive money in red packets from your elders and you start to associate that with love. When you grow up, you realise that maybe you’ve mixed some things up.”

Boonnitipat also described moving in with his 92-year-old grandmother while developing the script to get a more authentic depiction.

“We spent a lot of time together and I asked her so many questions like, ‘What would you do if this happened?’ and ‘Who would you give your inheritance to?’,” he told Deadline.

The film was released on Netflix in September in several Asian countries, and became the fourth-most viewed programme on the streaming platform in the Philippines in its debut week.

According to UK distributor Vertigo Releasing, How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies will be released across 50 to 60 screens on 26 December.

The final shortlist of the five films that will be nominated for the Best International Feature Film award at the 97th Academy Awards will be announced on 17 January, with the winner being announced at the ceremony on 2 March.

In the past, nine films from Asia have won in the International Feature Film category, but none yet from Southeast Asia. Winners include Japan’s Rashomon (1951), Departure (2009), and Drive My Car (2021), South Korea’s Parasite (2019), Iran’s The Salesman (2016) and Taiwan’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000).

Militants kill 16 security personnel in northwest Pakistan

At least 16 security personnel were killed and eight injured in an early morning attack by suspected Islamist militants in Pakistan’s northwest region, police said.

The attack on a security post in the South Waziristan region began at around 2am and involved light and heavy weapons, according to police deputy superintendent Hidayat Ullah.

“A search operation is under way in the area,” he said.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack, reporting a significantly higher death toll of 35 security personnel and 15 injured in a statement shared on a WhatsApp channel.

The group did not disclose whether any of its fighters were killed.

An umbrella group of Sunni Islamist militant factions, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, seeks to overthrow the Pakistani government and establish strict Islamic rule. It has intensified attacks on Pakistani security forces in recent months.

Although separate from the Afghan Taliban, the group pledges allegiance to the Islamist rulers of Afghanistan, who took power after forcing Western forces led by the US to leave the country in 2021.

Seven Chinese nationals tried to illegally enter Guam, US says

Seven Chinese citizens have been arrested for allegedly attempting to illegally enter Guam, a US territory, while the military was conducting a key missile defence test, authorities said.

The incident, which occurred on 10-11 December, has raised concerns about potential espionage as four of those detained were found “in the vicinity of a military installation,” Guam’s Customs and Quarantine Agency said.

The arrests came as the US Missile Defense Agency conducted an interception test involving advanced radar systems at Andersen Air Force Base on 10 December.

“Conducting espionage against US military facilities, especially those with missile launch capabilities, could provide the PRC with potentially valuable intelligence,” US think tank Institute for the Study of War said in a report on Friday, using the formal name of the People’s Republic of China.

The arrested individuals reportedly arrived on the island by boat from Saipan.

Guamanian authorities have launched an investigation into the incident, but there has been no immediate response from China’s foreign ministry to the arrests or the allegations.

The US is ramping up its missile defence presence in Guam, aiming to create a network spanning 16 sites on the island. The $10 billion plan is designed to deter missile attacks by complicating potential offensives against the strategically vital US territory in the Indo-Pacific region.

The integration of advanced radar and defence systems forms a crucial part of the effort to counter emerging threats, including those from China.

The missile interception test on 10 December was deemed successful, with the Missile Defene Agency confirming a plan to carry out two such tests annually.

A series of recent arrests have heightened concerns about Chinese espionage activities targeting US military installations. Earlier this month, a Chinese citizen was arrested for allegedly flying a drone and taking photographs of Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The arrest was part of a series of similar incidents involving unauthorised drone activity near sensitive military sites.

Search to resume for missing MH370 flight

The Malaysian government has confirmed that the search for the missing MH370 passenger jet which vanished more than 10 years ago will resume.

The Beijing-bound Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared in March 2014 after departing Kuala Lumpur with 239 people onboard.

Malaysia’s transport minister Anthony Loke said the cabinet approved in principle a $70m (£56m) deal with US-based marine exploration firm Ocean Infinity to find the aircraft.

The deal will operate on a “no find, no fee” agreement, meaning the company will only get paid if and when the wreckage is found.

Mr Loke said negotiations with the company were ongoing and would be finalised in early 2025.

A key negotiating point is the definition of the wreckage size, he added.

“It’s not just about finding one or two pieces [that will be] considered wreckage,” he said.

The new search will take place in a 15,000 sq km patch in the southern Indian Ocean and is based on new data that Kuala Lumpur found to be “credible”, the minister said.

“They have informed us that the best time for searching is between January and April,” he said.

“We are trying to finalise the contract as soon as possible. They have committed that the search will begin once the contract is signed.”

Read more: What happened to missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370? Five theories evaluated

It is hoped that finding the wreckage would give closure to the hundreds of families of those onboard who remain haunted by the tragedy.

“We hope this time will be positive,” said Mr Loke.

Jacquita Gonzales, the wife of MH370 inflight supervisor, Patrick Gomes, told the New Straits Times: “I am so happy for the news… feels like the best Christmas present ever.”

Numerous efforts to locate the wreckage have ended in disappointment over the past decade, including a 2018 search by Ocean Infinity which ceased after three months.

A multinational attempt also ended in 2017 after two years of searching vast swathes of ocean.

Conspiracy theories abound about the fate of the aircraft, with unsubstantiated claims that the plane was shot down by a foreign military and speculation that the pilot deliberately brought down the aircraft.

A 2018 investigation concluded that the truth behind the plane “can only be conclusive if the wreckage is found”.

Poet sentenced for criticising monarchy while dressed as Harry Potter

One of Thailand‘s most prominent pro-democracy activists was handed another two years and eight months in prison for criticising the monarchy during a Harry Potter-themed protest.

Arnon Nampa, the 40-year-old lawyer and poet, was found guilty on Thursday of defaming King Maha Vajiralongkorn in a speech during a Bangkok protest rally in August 2020 under the controversial lese-majeste law.

He was among the first people to publically demand reform of the Thai monarchy as part of the pro-democracy movement in 2020, which saw thousands of young citizens pouring onto the streets in protest.

This was Arnon Nampa’s sixth lese-majeste conviction, bringing his cumulative prison sentence to almost 18 years and 11 months. He faces a total of 14 cases under the lese-majeste law which protects the monarchy from criticism and carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.

Critics have accused the government of enforcing the controversial law to throttle dissent since the Thai military took power in a 2014 coup.

Prosecutors on Thursday argued that Arnon Nampa, as the head of the Ratsadon group, had posted a Facebook message calling on anti-government protesters to gather at Bangkok’s Democracy Monument for a protest named: “Harry Potter VS You Know Who or He Who Must Not Be Named”, The Nation reported.

Shortly after the protest, where Arnon Nampa was seen donning a cloak to look like Harry Potter, a government official filed a police complaint accusing him of slandering the monarchy.

Arnon Nampa thanked his lawyers and members of the public who had come to the court to show their support before he was escorted away by corrections department officials.

PEN America on Thursday called for Arnon Nampa’s immediate release and an end to the lese-majeste law. “Nampa’s speeches, letters, and poems have inspired countless other Thai citizens to envision a more just and equitable society, making his imprisonment a broader assault on the right to free expression for all people in Thailand,” the group said in a statement.

“International partners of Thailand must pressure the Thai government to uphold its obligations under international human rights law, including the protection of free expression.”

Arnon Nampa was awarded the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights by a South Korean foundation for his pro-democracy work in 2021.

During his first sentencing in September last year, he said that the “loss of personal freedom is a sacrifice I’m willing to make” that will be worth it in years to come.