ASIA SUMMARY
November 13, 2023
Australia, Bangladesh, Burma, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, Papua-NG, Taiwan, Thailand
WEEKEND
PHILIPPINES (security). On Friday, Nov. 10, in the disputed South China Sea, a Philippine Coast Guard rubber boat carrying journalists sped towards Filipino troops on a grounded navy vessel near Second Thomas Shoal (Spratly Islands) when three Chinese speed boats gave chase in a high-seas pursuit.
BANGLADESH (public order). On Saturday, Nov. 11, garment manufacturers shuttered 150 factories “indefinitely”, as police issued blanket charges for 11,000 workers in connection with violent protests for a higher minimum wage.
JAPAN (earthquake). On Saturday, Nov. 11, a magnitude-5.3 earthquake occurs in Kagoshima Prefecture. No immediate reports of damage or injuries.
BURMA((civil war). On Saturday, Nov. 11, a military junta fighter jet has crashed over Kayah state (East) near the border with Thailand during clashes between the military and an insurgent group (KNDF).
THAILAND (security). On Sunday, Nov. 12, authorities announced a plan to station Chinese police personnel at some of its popular tourist destinations to lift the confidence of Chinese travelers, raising locally concerns over sovereignty.
PAPUA-NG (earthquake). On Sunday, Nov. 12, a magnitude-5.9 earthquake occurred in the Bismarck Sea (epicenter 130 km Southeast of Kavieng, New Ireland Province). There have been no initial reports of damage or casualties.
JAPAN (drill). On Sunday, Nov. 12, authorities conducted a tsunami evacuation drill on its westernmost island Yonaguni. 200 island officials and members of the Self-Defence Force (SDF) took part in the exercise.
TO BE MONITORED (in the next few days)
PAKISTAN (drill). Samedi 11 nov., the Chinese and Pakistani navies kicked off the exercise in the waters and airspace of the northern Arabian Sea in drills that include anti-submarine operations. The exercise will end on Friday, Nov 17.
AUSTRALIA (transport; cybersecurity). Lundi 13 nov., DP World Australia, one of the country’s largest ports operators resumed operations at all its facilities after a cybersecurity incident forced it to suspend operations for three days, affecting its container terminals in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Fremantle.
INDONESIA (earthquakes). Several earthquakes with magnitudes greater than 5 on the Richter scale have shaken the archipelago in recent days: on Monday Nov.13, a magnitude-5.3 earthquake occurred in northeast Papua Province. On Sunday, Nov. 12, a magnitude-5.2 earthquake occurs north of Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara Province. On Saturday, Nov. 11, a Magnitude-5.7 offshore earthquake occurs in Banda Sea, Maluku Province (no reports of major damage or casualties).
TAIWAN (defense). On Monday Nov. 13, 6 Chinese military aircraft, 5 naval vessels counted around the island. Taipei sent aircraft, naval ships, to monitor this activity. So far this month, Beijing has sent 145 aircraft and 74 ships around Taiwan.
BURMA (civil war). On Monday Nov.13, ground, air transport, and land border transit disruptions continue, after the military engaged ground and air operations in response to coordinated attacks by a coalition of anti-regime militant groups Oct. 27.
FIJI (bad weather). Severe weather is likely to continue across much of Fiji through at least Nov. 14 due to tropical disturbance. The weather is bringing rainfall and isolated thunderstorms across the archipelago.
INDIA (air pollution; health). On Monday Nov.13, with smoke heavy in the air a day after revelers with firecrackers for Diwali – the annual Hindu festival of light, New Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai were among the world’s worst 10 for pollution. ND had an air quality index (AQI) figure of 420, putting it the ‘hazardous’ category, Kolkata (AQI of 196), Mumbai (8t with 163).
OUTLOOK & RECOMMENDATIONS
- Natural hazards/weather conditions: individuals present in East Asia (JAPAN), Southeast Asia (INDONESIA), South Asia (INDIA) and Oceania (FIJI; PAPUA-NG) will be alert to local weather conditions (cf. heavy rain; floods), natural hazards (cf. earthquake, landslides) that may impact safety and travel, and will comply with the instructions of local authorities.
- Public order: as public gatherings may have an impact on travel or even degenerate into clashes, individuals present in BANGLADESH, BURMA, INDIA, PAKISTAN, AFGHANISTAN, AUSTRALIA, INDONESIA, THAILAND (non-exhaustive list) will, as a precaution, stay away from these various events.
- With the security threat (terrorism, civil war, kidnapping) remaining at its highest, and Western governments suggesting that their citizens refrain from traveling to these countries except for imperative reasons, travel to AFGHANISTAN, PAKISTAN, BANGLADESH, BURMA, NORTH KOREA and PAPUA-NG remains inadvisable.
- In view of the tense relations between Beijing and Taipei, the tensions in the South China Sea (Beijing/Manila) and the regular defiance 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)
