ASIA SUMMARY
July 8, 2024
AFGHANISTAN / AUSTRALIA / BANGLADESH / BURMA / CHINA / INDIA / INDONESIA / JAPAN / SOUTH KOREA / NEPAL / PAKISTAN / TAIWAN / THAILAND
WEEKEND (July 6-7)
- CHINA (floods). On Friday, July 5, a dam burst in Hunan province. No casualties were reported, but the incident forced several thousand people to evacuate the affected areas.
- THAILAND (fire). On Saturday, July 6, a fire broke out in Bangkok's Chinatown (on Yaowarat Road), injuring 2 firefighters and leaving dozens injured. It took 3 hours to bring the fire under control.
- BURMA (health). On Saturday, July 6, in Yangon, 6 cases of cholera were diagnosed. The ruling military junta ordered the temporary closure of restaurants in the former capital.
- BANGLADESH (floods). On Saturday, July 6, the death toll from flooding over the past few days has risen to 8, leaving 2 million people homeless after rains caused major rivers to burst their banks.
- JAPAN (heatwave). On Sunday, July 7, authorities issued heatwave warnings in 26 prefectures, urging residents to take precautions against the potentially lethal heat (approaching 40°C in Tokai and Kanto).
- NEPAL (floods). On Sunday, July 7, the human toll from the torrential rains that have been battering the country since July 4 (flash floods, landslides) stood at around 15 dead and a dozen missing.
INDONESIA (landslide). On Sunday, July 7, at least 12 people dead and 18 others missing after torrential rain caused a landslide in Gorontalo province (Sulawesi island).
TO BE MONITORED (in the next few days)
- AUSTRALIA (curfew). On Monday, July 8, authorities declared a 3-night curfew in Alice Springs after several violent incidents, including an assault on 4 off-duty police officers.
- SOUTH KOREA (strike). On Monday, July 8, Samsung Electronics employees have begun a 3-day strike to demand a pay rise. The strikers are considering other forms of action if their demands are not met.
- INDIA (floods). On Monday, July 8, in Mumbai, heavy monsoon rains flooded roads and railroads, affecting airport flights and directly impacting the lives and movements of several million people.
- INDIA (celebration). The annual Hindu Rath Yatra festival takes place at the Jagannath temple (Puri, Odisha) until July 19. Half a million devotees are expected to attend, especially for the chariot procession (July 15).
- PAKISTAN (fire). On Monday, July 8, an early-morning fire at the Karachi stock exchange (Pakistan Stock Exchange; PSX) forced trading to be suspended for two hours; operations resumed mid-day.
- BANGLADESH (protest). On Monday, July 8, students are continuing (until mid-July or later) their protests on campuses across the country to denounce a recent government reform (access to the civil service). Roadblocks in urban centers are planned; in Dhaka in particular, at the Dhaka University Library.
- INDONESIA (protest). On Monday, July 8, several labor organizations are holding nationwide demonstrations to protest various government measures and projects.
- PAKISTAN (protest). On Friday, July 12, the Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) organizes a sit-in protest in Islamabad near D-Chowk, against current governance, economic problems and rising electricity prices.
- AFGHANISTAN (celebration; security). The authorities are stepping up security ahead of the Shia festival of Ashura (July 17). The Afghan Shiite minority is often the target of targeted attacks and bombings during this religious celebration.
OUTLOOK & RECOMMENDATIONS
- Natural hazards / weather conditions: individuals in South-East Asia, South Asia (INDIA, PAKISTAN, BANGLADESH, NEPAL), East Asia (CHINA, JAPAN, S. KOREA), Oceania (AUSTRALIA), will be alert to local severe weather conditions (rainfall, flooding, heatwave), natural hazards (e.g. landslides; volcanic eruption) that may impact safety and travel, and will willingly comply with the instructions of local authorities.
- Public order: as popular gatherings could impact travel or even degenerate into clashes, individuals present in INDIA, BANGLADESH, BURMA (civil war), PAKISTAN (major political tensions), AFGHANISTAN, INDONESIA, THAILAND, SOUTH KOREA or AUSTRALIA will remain on the sidelines of any such demonstrations as a precautionary measure.
- As the security situation (terrorism, civil war, kidnapping) remains tenuous, and Western governments suggest that their citizens refrain from traveling to these countries unless there is a compelling reason to do so, travel to AFGHANISTAN, PAKISTAN, BANGLADESH, BURMA and PAPUA-NG remains inadvisable. The same currently applies (for different reasons) to NEW CALEDONIA.
- Finally, in view of the particularly tense relations between Beijing and Taipei, the persistent tensions in the South China Sea (Beijing/Manila) and the usual defiance / provocation of North Korea, we cannot rule out the occurrence of events in the Asia-Pacific region over the next few days that could have consequences for regional stability and the smooth running/relevance of travel.
Author(s)
