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There Will Be No Peace Without A Process Of Reconciliation

No one should have the illusion that once a ceasefire is established, Israel and the Palestinians should or can negotiate a peace agreement. Given the decades-long deep hatred and distrust, a process of reconciliation must precede such negotiations to achieve an enduring peace, writes Dr Alon Ben-Meir

Since a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians has been agreed upon, there are those who advocate that peace negotiations between the two sides should commence immediately to prevent future conflagration and bring an end to the destructive seven-decades-old conflict. I could not disagree more. Whereas a peace agreement based on a two-state solution must eventually be the outcome, no agreement can be reached unless it is preceded by a process of reconciliation for a period of at least five years to mitigate the ingrained hatred and distrust between them. Such a process would consist of multiple measures that run simultaneously on government-to- government and people-to-people levels, which can accelerate and enhance the implementation of the reconciliation process.

There are several preconditions upon which Israel must agree to allow reconciliation to advance unimpeded. This includes: no further annexation of a single inch of Palestinian territory, no expanding settlements beyond their established parameters, and maintaining the current status quo of Jerusalem.

Govt-to-govt reconciliatory measures

Halting the mutually acrimonious public narrative: Israeli and Palestinian leaders must stop their acrimonious public narratives against each other. Indeed, rather than preparing the public for the inevitability of peace and engaging in constructive public dialogue, they have been poisoning the political atmosphere and setting one side against the other, creating the perception that peace is an illusion and that the differences between them are simply irreconcilable.

Establishing an economic relationship: Israelis and Palestinians must develop a strong economic relationship. Other than trade, Israeli investors should be encouraged to invest in the future Palestinian state. Economic exchanges, investment, and development will foster a very close relationship between the two sides.

Modifying school textbooks: Israel and the Palestinians must modify their textbooks to reflect an objectively more accurate and less biased historic account throughout their educational institutions. Both sides must stop disseminating inaccurate historic accounts in their textbooks and reinforce that through their public discourse.

Taking no provocative action: The Palestinians should not turn to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to charge Israel with crimes against humanity, and must prevent any terrorist attack against Israeli targets. Israel on the other hand must not unduly restrict the movement of Palestinians, and must stop the practice of night raids and end the demolition and/or eviction of Palestinians from their residences anywhere, and especially in East Jerusalem.

ALSO READ: Borrell calls for immediate cessation of Israel-Gaza violence

Maintaining security cooperation: Israel and the Palestinians should not only continue to collaborate on all security matters but further augment future cooperation. Alleviating concerns over security will have both psychological and practical implications, especially as both sides move toward substantive peace talks.

People-to-people measures on the ground

As the above measures are taken, people-to-people interaction becomes a natural process conducted in a constantly improving atmosphere. The following measures are being pursued today on a small scale and should be greatly expanded.

i) Mutual visitation: Israel and the Palestinian Authority must agree to allow mutual visitation. It is hard to exaggerate the value of such visits when ordinary Israelis and Palestinians meet in their respective places of residence to share experiences and understand each other’s grievances and concerns, and often discover that their shared interests and aspirations are far greater than their differences.

ii) Women activism: Activism by Israeli and Palestinian women can be a very important part of the reconciliation process. Israeli and Palestinian women should use their formidable power to demand that their respective leaders end the conflict. The role of women in ending the conflict in Northern Ireland offers a vivid picture of how women can impact the course of events.

iii) Joint sporting events: Sports are an incredibly useful tool in building camaraderie and friendship between the two sides, whether competing against each other or as part of a joint team. Football, basketball, and other sports teams can meet alternately in Israel and Palestine to train and compete, and together they can cheer the generous spirit of the game where the victory is the game itself, not the final score.

iv) Student interaction: Palestinian and Israeli students should connect with one another and talk about their aspirations and hopes for the future. Israeli and Palestinian youth should be taught that they are destined to peacefully coexist and be encouraged to use social media to communicate with each other, as the future rests in their hands.

ALSO READ: Israel, Hamas reach ceasefire

v) Art exhibitions: There are scores of Israeli and Palestinian artists who have never met or delved into each other’s feelings and mindset to see how their works reflect their lives. Joint exhibitions should take place both in Israel and Palestine. These cultural exchanges can expand to include music festivals, theater performances, and other forms of art.

vi) Public discourse: Universities, think tanks, and other learning institutions should organize roundtable discussions on the inevitability of coexistence and how both sides can remove the barriers to make it not only inevitable but desirable. Such small enclaves can be disseminated online to millions of people, including Israelis and Palestinians, instantly.

vii) Forums to discuss conflicting issues: Joint forums should be established, consisting of qualified Israelis and Palestinians with varied academic and personal experiences who enjoy respect in their field, are independent thinkers, hold no formal position in their respective governments, and have thorough knowledge of the conflicting issues.

viii) The role of the media: Instead of focusing almost solely on violence and acrimonious charges and counter-charges which make headlines, Israeli and Palestinian media should also be encouraged to report on positive developments between the two sides to inform the people that the bilateral relations are not all discouraging. In addition, journalist exchange programs will bring reporters to the field on the other side, where they can see and report on the reality free of political propaganda and bias.

The conflagration between Israel and Hamas, which has caused massive destruction and terrible loss of life, especially among the Palestinians, should remind everyone that this round of hostilities, like all previous ones, will not be the last. Both sides must come to their senses and realize that they must find a way to coexist peacefully, because the alternative is more wars and bloodshed. To achieve a lasting agreement will be impossible given the current hostile atmosphere, which is laden with profound hatred and mistrust. A process of reconciliation first becomes central to achieving an enduring peace.

The US with the strong backing of the EU and the Arab states must use their leverage to pressure both sides to fully adhere to such a process and demonstrate that they are keen on seeking peace or face serious consequences. Otherwise, any new peace talks will be nothing but an exercise in futility.

(Dr Alon Ben-Meir is a professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He teaches courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies)

ALSO READ: France, Egypt, Jordan move UNSC for Israel-Gaza ceasefire
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Suu Kyi appears in public after long absence

The 75-year-old Suu Kyi has been under house arrest since the coup…reports Asian Lite News

Myanmar’s ousted de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi appeared in court on Monday, her first in-person appearance since the February 1 coup, to face a charge of “incitement to sedition”.

The sedition charge is the most serious she faces, but she is also accused of violating a state secrets law and breaking coronavirus containment measures, reports dpa news agency.

Defence lawyer Thae Maung Maung said lawyers were able to meet with Suu Kyi separately before the hearing and they discussed the legal matter.

The 75-year-old has been under house arrest since the coup.

Myanmar’s State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi (R, front) lays a wreath during a ceremony to mark the 72nd Martyrs’ Day in Yangon, Myanmar. (Xinhua/U Aung/IANS)

He told dpa news agency that Suu Kyi was in good health.

Her next court hearing is scheduled for June 7.

ALSO READ: Myanmar’s beauty queen picks up guns

While Suu Kyi has answered questions in court via video link in recent weeks, her lawyers have been unable to meet her in person.

A special courtroom had been set up for the hearing in the capital Nay Pyi Taw, not far from Suu Kyi’s home, lawyer Min Min Soe told dpa.

Death toll in Myanmar’s anti-coup protests tops 500

Nationwide protests against the coup have been met with fierce army reprisals that left hundreds of people dead.

In an interview published on May 22 by Chinese-language broadcaster Phoenix, Myanmar’s military ruler, Min Aung Hlaing claimed the media had vastly overstated the number of dead, putting it at “around 300”.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners monitoring group, at least 818 people have been killed so far, while more than 5,300 have been detained.

ALSO READ: Armed resistance in Mindat against Myanmar military

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Chinese Communist Party seeks to ‘sinicise’ Tibet

This comes after the party issued a report defining its official position on Tibet, claiming the area “has been an inseparable part of China since ancient times”…reports Asian Lite News

Despite international condemnation over human rights violations by Beijing in Tibet, the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) top official in Lhasa called for greater stress on Chinese elements in religion and a crackdown on ‘separatism’ in the region.

As the CCP marks 70 years of control of Tibet, party secretary Wu Yingjie on Saturday said that the country must pursue “Sinicisation of religion” and a stronger role for the party’s leadership in Tibet, a move that analysts say is meant to tighten Beijing’s grip on the area, reported South China Morning Post (SCMP).

“We must … promote [the concept] that Tibetan Buddhism has always been a part of the Chinese culture,” Wu said. He also claimed that to “nip separatism in the bud, we strictly must crackdown on all kinds of separatist and infiltration activities”.

This comes after the party issued a report defining its official position on Tibet, claiming the area “has been an inseparable part of China since ancient times”, dating back to the seventh century.

The white paper further accused Western forces of supporting the Tibetan independence movement and vowed to continue to crack down on ‘separatist activities’ in Tibet, reported SCMP.

Chinese-President-and-General-Secretary-of-Chinese-Communist-Party-Xi-Jinping-XinhuaJu-PengIANS-

“In the aftermath of the Opium Wars in the middle of the 19th century, the British-led imperialist powers began to cultivate the idea of ‘Tibet independence’, intentionally undermining China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” it claimed.

Robert Barnett, former director of Columbia University’s modern Tibetan studies programme, said Beijing had changed its narrative over Tibet’s history over the years.

Referring to China’s claim that Tibet has been its part since the seventh century, Barnett said: “This is hard to take seriously, since until 2015 the [party] and the Chinese government had insisted that Tibet only became part of China in the 13th century, and before that they had said it happened in the 17th or 18th centuries. China has yet to explain why it keeps changing its claims as to when it thinks Tibet became part of China.”

ALSO READ: Leaked papers reveal plan to nuke China in 1958

Meanwhile, analysts also agreed that Beijing was unlikely to try to hold talks with the Dalai Lama, the 85-year-old spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, deeming him a ‘separatist and claiming it had to right to choose his successor.

According to SCMP, Barnett said Beijing was likely to “try to delay talks until they think the Dalai Lama’s position is very weak, and that it will aim to give no concessions, if possible”.

The Chinese government occupied Tibet in 1950 and has ever since tried to control the region.

In recent years, China has intensified its efforts to eradicate the Dalai Lama from the religious lives of Tibetans to crush their identity. During a meeting, Mao Zedong had told the 14th Dalai Lama, that “religion is poison.”

Last month, the Centre for Democracy, Pluralism and Human Rights (CDPHR), in its latest report, has revealed that various individuals and organisations working for the rights of Tibetan people have reported abuses of rights in Tibet that include restricted freedom of religion, belief and association.

The CDPHR report said that the arbitrary arrests, maltreatment in custody, including torture and forced abortion and sterilisation have also been reported.

On the issue of ‘crushing’ Chinese policies, the report said, “The communist Chinese policies of crushing any political dissent have gravely threatened the Tibetan political and cultural identity as they disregard to the international condemnation of the human rights situation in Tibet.”

Major countries, including the United States, have harshly condemned China’s atrocities in Tibet, Hong Kong and Xinjiang. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Move to stem China from obtaining Genomic Data

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China’s increasing elderly population creating policy challenge

China’s overall population in the past decade grew at the slowest pace since the first modern census in 1953…reports Asian Lite News

The seventh national census of China shows the aging population in the country is creating a policy challenge that requires covering the cost of elder care while ensuring continued prosperity for everyone else, according to a report in Voice of America (VOA).

China’s overall population in the past decade grew at the slowest pace since the first modern census in 1953. This came even though the one-child policy was abolished in 2016.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in about 25 years, one-third of China’s population will be retirees, and their living and health care expenses will take up one-fourth of the country’s Gross domestic product (GDP).

Moreover, China’s increasing elderly population will reduce the supply of labour force and increase the burden on families’ elder care and the pressure on the supply of basic public services.

“The aging of the population has further deepened, and in the coming period, (we will) continue to face pressure for the long-term balanced development of the population,” said Ning Jizhe, head of the NBS earlier this month.

ALSO READ: Leaked papers reveal plan to nuke China in 1958

Population data released by Chinese metropolises show considerable variation in the age composition in major cities like Beijing and Shanghai, the Global Times reports.

According to the national census, Chinese metropolises are facing a more serious problem of an aging population, with rates above the national average.

Last week, the Beijing municipal government said that the city’s residents aged 60 or above stood at 4.29 million, 0.9 percentage point higher than the national average. Compared with data from the sixth national population census in 2010, the number of aged people had increased by 7.1 percent.

China is reportedly adjusting the birth data for 2011 to 2019 after releasing its 2020 census, saying that it was based on a small sample of the total population.

China has begun revising demographic data for most of the preceding decade upward, raising concerns about the integrity of its statistics in the face of a looming population decline, reported Nikkei Asia.

China’s population has merely grown by 5.38 percent over the last 10 years to reach the 1.41 billion mark. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Move to stem China from obtaining Genomic Data

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Pak wants Afghanistan to break ties with India: Karzai

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai (XinhuaJiang ChaoIANS)

Karzai said that Pakistan must know that it cannot win by force as dominating Afghanistan from the outside has never worked…reports Asian Lite News

Amid the US drawdown from Afghanistan, former president Hamid Karzai in an interview to a German publication has explained how Pakistan ‘would like’ Afghanistan to break off relations with India and exert strategic influence in the country through the Taliban.

While speaking with Der Spiegel, Karzai said the Pakistani offensive is in full swing right now and there is fighting going on.

“Pakistan actually would like Afghanistan to break off relations with India. That is impossible. If we give in to this, we would give up our sovereignty and independence. If we want to send our police or our army or our boys and girls to India for training because it is good for our country, we should do so,” the former president said.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani inspecting the guard of honor in Islamabad. (XinhuaPIDIAN

“Pakistan wants to exert strategic influence in Afghanistan through the Taliban. This traces back to fears related to the legacy of British colonial rule in the region,” he added.

Karzai said that Pakistan must know that it cannot win by force as dominating Afghanistan from the outside has never worked.

“It didn’t work for the British, it didn’t work for the Soviets, and it didn’t work for the United States, even with all of its resources. And the Pakistanis will not succeed either,” he said while asking Pakistan to be reasonable and begin a civilized relationship between our two neighbours.

ALSO READ: World Bank grants Pakistan $153mn for Covid fight

He also revealed how he realized early into my tenure as president that this war is not our conflict, and we Afghans are just being used against each other.

“After September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the US, Washington took the historic opportunity to pursue its global ambitions in Afghanistan. Just look at our position on the map. Afghanistan is the most strategically important place in today’s global contest for supremacy. At the same time, Pakistan started using the Taliban to further its own agenda in Afghanistan.”

Karzai hoped that the Taliban will stand up to foreign influences where necessary. “My appeal to Afghans, including the Taliban, is that we come together and finally take our fate into our own hands against all foreign powers.”

Afghanistan has seen a spike in the incidents of violence in recent weeks, leading to casualties of Afghan security forces and civilians. US withdrawal is underway and set to complete by September 11.

According to a report, heavy clashes is continuing in the five provinces including Baghlan, Helmand, Kunduz, Kandahar and Laghman, over the last few weeks. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Pakistan’s strategic shift in Afghanistan’s post-American phase

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Imran inaugurates Chinese built n-power plant

Karachi Nuclear Power Plant Unit-2 (K-2) in southern Pakistani port city of Karachi. (StrXinhuaIANS)

The Karachi Nuclear Power Plant Unit-2 (K-2), established with the cooperation between Pakistan and China, is a coal-fired power production unit…reports Hamza Ameer

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has inaugurated the largest Chinese-built nuclear power plant, as the country tried to stretch itself away from dependency of fossil fuels for its energy needs.

The Karachi Nuclear Power Plant Unit-2 (K-2), established with the cooperation between Pakistan and China, is a coal-fired power production unit, which would be the country’s sixth nuclear power plant and is expected to bring dramatic increase the nuclear energy capacity.

Prime Minister Khan, who virtually inaugurated the K-2 nuclear power plant on Friday, said the unit would generate at least 1,100 MW of clear energy.

“This is important for us because Pakistan is among the top 10 countries at risk due to climate change,” he said.

“Unfortunately, we have not focused on producing energy from water and despite the country having potential to do so,” the premier said lamenting the previous governments for ignoring the serious issue of the country’s energy needs.

Pakistan has been struggling with fulfilling its rising energy needs, which have triggered due to energy shortage and the rising power prices, putting immense pressure on the people, who question the country’s policies.

The Prime Minister said that the country would not pursue any more power based on coal, as their construction would come with an environmental cost.

However, with the rising energy shortage, large-scale construction of new power plants, most of which are coal-fired, have boosted the country’s energy capacity.

ALSO READ: Pakistan’s strategic shift in Afghanistan’s post-American phase

The China National Nuclear Cooperation (CNNC) has designed the K-2 nuclear power plant.

Its construction started in 2015 and is planned to begin operation by the year 2022.

“The project will help to train manpower and facilitate technology transfer from China. 40,000 experts visited the country over an extended period of time. This is another area of cooperation with China,” said Khan.

He added that Pakistan was fortunate to have strong ties with an emerging power like China, who he said has stood by Islamabad during difficult times.

“We are confident that China will stand with us during difficult times. It is fortunate for us that Pakistan has strong ties with an emerging power and a developed country such a China. “

The K-2 plant will be a major addition to facilitate the country’s energy needs.

It has a 60-year life expectancy, extendable to 20 more years and is designed with higher plant availability and capacity factors, and extended refueling cycle.

ALSO READ: ‘Pakistan on the brink of complete breakdown’
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‘Pakistan on the brink of complete breakdown’

The ability to challenge or think comes with education, and at this moment education is not a priority in Pakistan…reports Asian Lite News

There are actualities that could possibly lead Pakistan into a civil war.

Previously, Pakistan has experienced the consequences of a civil war that resulted in the foundation of Bangladesh.

Irfan Raja in an opinion piece in Asia Times has said that as long as the growth of inequality and injustice is unchecked, the chance of a complete breakdown becomes more likely in Pakistan.

Though bad governance, corruption and poverty are certainly factors that can stir hatred and violence in any society, inequality and injustice are the main components that drive a society into civil war. But there are many other factors that can lead Pakistan into a second civil war.

First is the functioning of a feudal society that restricts equality and limits ordinary people’s progress in education and intellectual growth.

Second is the uninterrupted furtherance of a colonial legacy in Pakistan that empowers the bureaucracy and establishment to the extent that civil servants have become feudal lords in uniforms.

Seventy-three years since independence, Pakistan is still failing its purpose of existence. It’s not an Islamic welfare state nor a democracy or liberal state.

Instead, it has become an “intolerant society.” The moment people question the policymakers, they are labeled foreign agents, traitors, or disloyal.

People walk at a market in eastern Pakistan’s Rawalpindi
ALSO READ: World Bank grants Pakistan $153mn for Covid fight

The ability to challenge or think comes with education, and at this moment education is not a priority in Pakistan.

Writer and journalist Tariq Ali has explained how colonial masters appointed elites who shaped an education system that serves their interests and produce deaf and blind people, not thinkers.

Ali believed that the Pakistani state has “failed to forge a national identity” while its leaders are unable and unwilling to “address the country’s poverty and inequality”, while the military has a role in “the country’s spiral toward violence and disunity.”

So, what really causes civil war? Experts offer various reasons that could potentially “fuel a civil war.” For example, a World Bank report suggests that “it is due to economic inequalities or to a deep-rooted legacy of colonialism.”

Once a civil war starts, it is “difficult to end”, wrote Raja.

Many experts have warned several nations against sleepwalking into civil war.

Pakistan has failed to address many injustices. Many civilians have died in custody of Pakistan’s security institutions, particularly in troublesome areas of Balochistan, Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Amnesty International has revealed shocking data on “torture and death in police custody” in Pakistan, reported Asia Times.

ALSO READ: Pakistan’s strategic shift in Afghanistan’s post-American phase
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US to monitor Afghanistan insurgents after troop pullout

US Troops in Afghanistan

The US military is currently conducting retrograde operations to leave Afghanistan….reports Asian Lite News

As the United States continues to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan, US officials are divided over plans for monitoring the worn-torn country from beyond its borders, and some are even saying that a complete retreat from the country will make it difficult for the United States to provide effective support to Afghan forces.

The US military is currently conducting retrograde operations to leave Afghanistan. US military personnel and equipment will be shipped back by September 11 deadline.

In their testimonies before the US Senate on Thursday, Pentagon officials noted that the US was able to monitor insurgent groups in Afghanistan without having a military presence in the country, Tolo news reported.

“We have the capabilities to be able to posture in the region where it is required,” said Gen. Matthew G. Trollinger, Deputy Director for Political-Military Affairs. “We have the capabilities to able to monitor potential adversaries, track these adversaries and then strike when conditions permit.”

A Pentagon release on Thursday said that after the US withdrawal, any number of possibilities might arise, including a takeover of the country by the Taliban — or a defeat of the Taliban by the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces.

ALSO READ: US drawdown from Afghanistan 20% complete: CENTCOM

“I will acknowledge the range of potential outcomes in the months as we go forward,” Brig. Gen. Matthew Trollinger, the deputy director of politico-military affairs for the Middle East, on the Joint Staff, said.

“I will say the ANDSF (Afghan security forces) — they’re a capable force. They have capable ground, air and special operations forces, and here, very recently, they’ve effectively both defended against Taliban attacks as well as gone on the offensive to disrupt Taliban activities.”

Taliban attack at the peak in Afghanistan 

During the Senate hearing, Senator Jim Inhofe said that a full drawdown from Afghanistan will make it much harder and more expensive to effectively support our Afghan security forces. “A complete withdrawal of US troops will make it much harder and more expensive to effectively support our Afghan security partners.”

Meanwhile, David Helvey, the acting assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, said the US has a moral obligation to help those that have helped them over the two-decade war.

“We have a moral obligation to help those that have helped us over the past 20 years of our presence and work in Afghanistan.”

Violent clashes continue in Afghanistan despite the ongoing peace talks between the elected Afghan government and the Taliban in Doha, Qatar. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Pakistan’s strategic shift in Afghanistan’s post-American phase

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China’s Indo-Pacific strategy fails in Samoa

Samoa’s new prime minister, Fiame Naomi Mataafa, whose election was upheld by the country’s Supreme Court is going to shelve a $100 million Beijing-backed port development project, reports Atul Aneja

Chinas bid to expand its influence in the Indo-Pacific has taken a hit, with Samoa, a strategically located nation in the South Pacific, signalling that it would not go ahead with a Chinese port development project.

Samoa’s new prime minister, Fiame Naomi Mataafa, whose election was upheld by the country’s Supreme Court has told Reuters news agency that she intended to shelve a $100 million Beijing-backed port development project.

The Chinese intended to construct a wharf in Vaiusu Bay – a move that was fully backed by long-serving leader Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, who lost his parliamentary majority during the April elections.

Mataafa’s decision is significant as it feeds into the China-US rivalry in the Indo-Pacific, a vast region of the Indian and the Pacific oceans linked by the strategic Malacca straits.

The Samoan Islands are in contention because they are located roughly halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand, in the Polynesian region of the Pacific Ocean. Any rival Chinese military presence here can threaten some of the key shipping lanes of the area. After World War-2, the US has been the most dominant player in the Pacific.

In view of the brewing rivalry, the former U.S. National Security Advisor Robert C. O’Brien had last October signalled that Washington intended to carry out a feasibility study of basing US Coast Guard vessels in American Samoa, part of US territory southeast of mainland Samoa.

ALSO READ: China targets African coastline for military bases

“The United States promotes a free and open Indo-Pacific region where like minded nations uphold the international rules-based order,” O’Brien’s office had said in a press statement then.

The US fears that after building a port in Samoa and elsewhere in the region, including Kiribati, the Chinese can send their paramilitary forces in the guise of fishing vessels, as has been done by Beijing in the South China Sea. Chinese “fishing vessels” a front for its paramilitary have regularly harassed fishermen in contested waters, with Japan in the East China Sea as well as Vietnam and the Philippines in the South China Sea.

China-ship

O’Brien had told Honolulu Civil Beat, that China’s People’s Maritime Militia – a paramilitary force of military-trained fishermen who occasionally work on behalf of the Chinese Navy, conducting surveillance and other operations are a major concern among the US and its allies.

The former US official said that warning signals that China may leverage its experience in Asian waters in the South Pacific as well.

He said that a suspicious – and aggressive – fleet of Chinese fishing vessels had clashed with the Ecuadorian Coast Guard last summer.

“It’s just like a marauding band of fishing trawlers that come through and strip fish and then dump garbage and plastic all over the ocean,” O’Brien said of China’s sea militia, as quoted by the Samoa News website.

The US sensitivities to the Chinese moves in the South Pacific have heightened after reports that the Chinese are eying a World War-II vintage military airstrip, which is 3,000 kilometres southwest of Hawaii, in Kiribati. The location is not far from busy commercial shipping lanes running from the US to Australia and New Zealand.

Samoa’s newly elected Prime Minister also signalled that her country was conscious about avoiding a Chinese debt trap, which Beijing can leverage for its political gains. “The level of indebtedness of our government to the government of China was a pressing issue for voters,” said Mataafa, the country’s first woman prime minister.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

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Chaos in Nepal after Oli dissolves Parliament

The decision is likely to polarise the politics of Himalayan nation for the time-being, where opinions are largely divided over whether elections can take place or not, reports Asian Lite News

Nepal Prime Minister KP Olis decision to dissolve Parliament has led to controversy, uproar and opposition in the Himalayan nation.

On the recommendation of Oli’s Cabinet, President Bidhya Devi Bhandari on Friday midnight dissolved the House and declared snap polls for November 12 and 19.

The decision is likely to polarise the politics of Himalayan nation for the time-being, where opinions are largely divided over whether elections can take place or not.

Another looming question is whether to take part in the elections which, according to some, are carried out in an unconstitutional and undemocratic way.

“Dissolution of the House is an attempt to political coup and declaration of so-called elections is a fraud,” former Prime Minister and ruling party leader Madhav Kumar Nepal said in a statement on Saturday.

Though Oli and Nepal are in the same party, the latter’s faction is running a parallel structure after serious differences erupted between the two.

K P Sharma Oli.

Oli is the chairman of Nepal Communist Party —UML.

“This is regression and this is also the attempt to rape Parliament. The President’s Office has hit back the Constitution. This is regression part two. I condemned the act of the Prime Minister and have asked all to protest against it,” said Nepal.

According to party leaders, the proximity between the President and Prime Minister is the reason behind this attempt.

Oli had earlier dissolved the House on December 20, 2020, but the Supreme Court reinstated it this February 23.

ALSO READ: Nepal confirms new Covid-19 variant

Ram Chandra Poudel, a senior leader of the opposition Nepali Congress party, said Bhandari and Oli have committed a fraud against the Constitution.

“At a time when opposition parties stake claim over the new government with the majority vote, the sudden dissolution of the House is an unconstitutional and undemocratic act and we will fight legal, political and constitutional battles against it,” he said.

Nepali President Bidya Devi Bhandari reviews the honor guard as she leaves for a visit to China at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, capital of Nepal, April 24, 2019. Nepali President Bidya Devi Bhandari left for a visit to China on Wednesday to attend the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. (Xinhua/Sunil Sharma/IANS)

The decision to dissolve the House came hours after a new government formation bid had failed.

President Bhandari on Thursday called on the formation of a new government by Friday 5 p.m. as per Article 76 (5) of the Constitution.

After failing to win the House’s confidence, Oli recommended the President to initiate the new government formation.

Before the deadline ended, Oli and opposition party leader and President of Nepali Congress Sher Bahadur Deuba had stake claims over the new government with respective majority support.

While invalidating both petitions registered by Oli and Deuba, Bhandari stated that the claims made by the two failed to meet the required provisions and hence neither can form the government.

Some lawmakers have signed both sides and some took action against those who supported beyond the party line, so claims made by both Oli and Deuba did not meet the criteria, a notice issued by the President Office said late Friday.

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Nepali Congress has called a meeting of opposition parties on Saturday to chart out a future plan against the dissolution and declaration of the midterm elections.

Former Prime Minister and Maoist leader Baburam Bhattarai said that in the midst of the alarmingly rising Covid-19 pandemic, the dissolution has plunged Nepal into an endless crisis and may lead to a full counter-revolution.

“There may be no election and the federal democratic constitution may collapse, resist it,” he warned.

Meanwhile, Nepal on Saturday reported 8,591 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative count of infections in the country to 5,05,643.

The death toll in the Himalayan Nation has reached 6,153 with 129 COVID-related fatalities in the last 24 hours.

Citing the country’s Health Ministry, Kathmandu Post reported that 389 people tested positive in a total of 743 antigen tests.

However, 373,684 infected people have recovered from the disease so far, including 8,848 of them in the last 24 hours.

A total of 19,357 RT-PCR tests were performed in the past 24 hours. As of Saturday, 2,897,503 RT-PCR tests have been carried out across the country, Kathmandu Post reported.

According to Kathmandu Post, in the past 24 hours, Province 1 witnessed 1,204 new infections, Province 2 recorded 574 cases, Bagmati registered 3,875 cases, Gandaki reported 369 cases, Lumbini reported 2,032, Karnali reported 616 cases and Sudurpaschim reported 1,023 cases.(with inputs from ANI)

ALSO READ: Nepal President Dissolves Parliament, Election In November