Research, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
Among the 196 local cases, 27 cases are Omicron variant (Covi29) cases, a drop from 34 cases on 31 December 2021 and the other 169 local cases are Delta variant (Covi72) cases, a sharp increase of 38 Covi72 cases from 131 on 31 December and 9 cases from foreign workers' dormitories in the local communities. Thus, there is a fall in the number of local Covi29 cases.
The number of new inbound Covi29 cases on 1 January is 128.
On the same day, the number of inbound covid cases has risen a new high, of which 132 cases are Covi72 cases and 128 cases are Covi29 cases. The 260 cases are VTL travelers. Hence, there is an increase of 456 new covid cases in Singapore.
A covid patient has died on 1 January, raising the fatality to 829 covid death cases.
As of 12 am of 2 January 2022, Singapore has a total number of 279,861 confirmed covid cases.
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98.6% covid patients are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms
Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) reveals that 98.6% of 9,311 covid cases of the last 28 days are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms. 0.8% require oxygen supplementation.
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87% of total population completed two doses
According to MOH, 87% of Singapore's eligible population have completed two doses of covi vaccination. 41% of the total population have received booster jabs and 88% of the total population have received at least one dose of a covi vaccine.
Refs: https://www.moh.gov.sg/docs/librariesprovider5/local-situation-report/ceg_20220101_daily_report_on_covid-19.pdf, https://staygate.blogspot.com/2022/01/singapore-reports-344-new-covid-cases.html
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Clarke Quay assembly of hundreds draw worries of covid dancing fever
Earlier, there was a large number of New Year's Eve crowds in Clarke Quay at night of 31 December 2021. The online video showed that hundreds of people gathered for a carnival and counted down. Many did not wear masks. A man sprinkled champagne on the crowd. Netizens worried that "Omicron is also there. Carnival with the crowd".
According to a video circulated on TikTok, this "New Year's Eve party" took place outside the Riverside Point Riverside Point, near the Reed Bridge.
A video released by imnosimpp, a netizen, shows that a large number of people gather in the above-mentioned places, there is no safe distance between people, and the countdown is welcoming 2022 in unison.
Ushering in the new year, the people began to cheer loudly. A man without a mask even stood up to spray champagne on the crowd.
The video shared by netizen v.alerieteo also shows that many members of the public did not wear masks at that time. She wrote, "Start 2022 with a covid party."
Netizen rotiprata0 entered this "party" by mistake while looking for a lost friend. He wrote: "I have never prayed that my mask is useful," and said with a smile that he had "learned" his friends.
Related videos sparked heated discussions among netizens, some netizens joked, "It's okay, today is a public holiday, and covid does not work."
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A feast of Covi29 and Covi72 causes spike in community cases
Many netizens also expressed concern. Some netizens described this as "a feast of Omicron and Delta mutant strains." Some netizens are also worried that the recent local community cases will increase sharply and indeed the number of new covid cases has increased on 1 January 2022.
Ref: https://www.8world.com/singapore/covid-19-large-crowd-at-clarke-quay-during-countdown-1689576
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Work-related activities will allow up to a thousand people to attend, subject to four major conditions
Starting from 3 January 2022, companies in Singapore will be able to hold work-related activities with up to 1,000 people attending but they must comply with the four major conditions and notify the relevant authorities in advance.
The Ministry of Manpower and the Ministry of Trade and Industry issued a statement in the afternoon of 1 January 2022 announcing that the limit on the number of people for work-related activities will be increased from 50 to 1,000. This will allow companies to hold events such as employee townhalls or awards ceremonies.
However, if the number of attendees is between 51 and 1,000, the event is forbidden to eat or drink, and attendees must wear masks at all times.
In addition, the majority of attendees must sit or stand in a fixed position and comply with differentiated safety management measures for vaccination.
Participants must also maintain a safe distance of at least one metre, and partitions, with a maximum of 100 people in each area, and a distance of two meters between each area.
Organizers of larger work-related activities only need to go online to https://go.gov.sg/submit-wre-mice and fill in the form to notify the relevant authorities. The authorities will make surprise inspections of such activities and take enforcement actions against companies that violate the law.
If the number of attendees does not exceed 50, there is no need to notify the authorities in advance, and attendees can also dine alone, but the time without wearing a mask should be minimized.
As for meetings, exhibitions and incentive travel events (MICE) where there will be more exchanges between attendees, companies must apply to the authorities through the same form at least one month in advance and obtain approval from the Ministry of Trade and Industry before they can hold the event.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry and Singapore Tourism Board may take up to 14 working days to evaluate each application.
If the company is not sure that the event it wants to hold is a larger work-related event or a conference, exhibition, or incentive travel event, the form contains some guiding questions.
Ahead of New Year’s Eve, Myanmar’s junta courts have been busily handing down the verdicts to detained National League for Democracy (NLD) government ministers, NLD leaders, artists and student leaders in Yangon, Bago and Magwe regions and Kachin and Shan states.
At least 62 detainees and ousted leaders accused of supporting or participating in the anti-regime protests were sentenced to prison on Thursday.
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Magwe region chief minister unjustifiably arrested for "corruption"
On Thursday, the junta court in Magwe sentenced the region’s chief minister Dr. Aung Moe Nyo to 18 years in prison on six corruption charges under Article 55 of the Anti-Corruption Law.
He was detained during the February 1 coup and was sentenced in June to two years for incitement for allegedly publishing statements declaring the junta’s State Administrative Council to be unlawful.
Dr. Aung Moe Nyo is well known for his integrity and associates rejected the junta court’s verdicts as trumped-up.
“The charges and verdict against him are ludicrous as he is a modest and a man of the highest integrity,” posted Ko Kyaw Wunna, the secretary of the NLD’s Central Research Committee.
According to lawyers, junta courts also sentenced two other regional ministers and the former speaker of Magwe on the same day.
Their lawyers said they will not appeal.
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Kachin State chairman and ousted state ministers charged for "incitement, sedition and high treason"
According to NLD sources in Kachin State, a junta court sentenced the party’s Kachin chairman and two other ousted state ministers.
The detained Shan State minister of planning and finance U Soe Nyunt Lwin was sentenced to 38 years on four charges of incitement, sedition and high treason, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a monitoring group.
The junta court inside Pyay Prison in Bago Region sentenced 40 detainees, including the anti-regime protesters and an ousted NLD lawmaker, to one to three years in prison, mostly for supporting and participating in protests.
In Yangon, the junta’s court inside Insein Prison sentenced NLD central executive committee (CEC) members U Han Tha Myint, U Thein Oo and Dr. Myo Nyunt to two years in prison for sedition.
The three have been detained since the February 1 coup and were charged with sedition under Article 505(b) of the Penal Code. Other CEC members detained at the same time include U Nyan Win, Monywa Aung Shin and U Kyaw Ho.
NLD legal adviser U Nyan Win died in prison in July with COVID-19 and Monywa Aung Shin died in late November shortly after being released from the prison. Another CEC member and legal adviser U Kyaw Ho was sentenced last week.
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Seven celebrities sentenced to jail for protesting against Myanmar Junta
At least seven celebrities were sentenced to three years in prison for supporting and participating in the anti-regime protests.
They were jailed with labor under Article 505(a) of the Penal Code. They include actress Eaindra Kyaw Zin and actors Pyay Ti Oo and Lu Min.
Lu Min was seized in late February and Eaindra Kyaw Zin and Pyay Ti Oo were detained in April for participating in protests.
Their detention period will be deducted from their jail terms, according to their lawyer.
On Monday the Insein court sentenced the author Daw Than Myint Aung and model Paing Takhon to three years in prison. Paing Takhon was detained in April after appearing on the junta’s list of celebrities wanted for anti-regime activities.
Daw Than Myint Aung, who was also a member of the Yangon Region municipal government, was detained on Feb. 1 and held at the regime’s interrogation center in the city for a month, before being sent to Insein. She was sentenced to three years in prison with labor for alleged incitement under Article 505(a) of the Penal Code.
This week the junta courts also handed down verdicts on student leaders who were detained for anti-regime protests with minimum sentences of two years.
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The incident is not unprecedented, given the fact that the military has long committed serious atrocities in ethnic areas. But the regime reveals its extreme arrogance by continuing to commit atrocities and then steadfastly denying its violence, while the whole country and international community are watching.
As usual, the junta said the victims were terrorists and trainees undergoing military training to commit acts of terror.
The massacre happened after an hour-long battle between junta troops and the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF). Soldiers detained villagers near Moso and burned them along with seven vehicles and five motorbikes, according to the KNDF, which was formed after the coup to resist military rule.
The ethnic military alliance of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance, Ta’ang National Liberation Army and the Arakan Army has condemned the massacre. The United Nations has also condemned the incident and called for an investigation into the killings.
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Myanmar Junta soldiers continue to bomb churches and persecute Christians that support NLD
There are many Christians in Myanmar that are in support of the former NLD government and the National Unity Government (NUG) of Myanmar.
While junta-controlled newspapers have been busy exaggerating their leader’s support for Christianity in Myanmar, dozens of churches in ethnic areas have been damaged by junta artillery strikes since the coup. Thousands of ethnic people, many of whom are Christians, were forced to flee junta assaults and air raids, and so could not celebrate Christmas at home.
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Singapore branch of Myanmar businessman's company supplied arms to Myanmar Junta
Anonymous open letters from former Myanmar military officers since the coup have accused the Kyaw Thaung family of procuring weapons for the military. An investigative report in the New York Times recently revealed how Jonathan Kyaw Thaung’s family business is helping the military avoid scrutiny by Western governments.
In 2015, the Singapore branch of a Kyaw Thaung company signed a deal to supply the military with a coastal radar technology system made by Thales, an arms manufacturer partly owned by the French government. The surveillance system, called Coast Watcher 100, was believed to be used for military purpose during the exodus of Rohingya refugees in 2016-2017.
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MWG arranged deliveries of civilian planes for Myanmar military use
MWG, a Kyaw Thaung aviation company, has reportedly purchased a US$2.16 million (3.8 billion kyats) European-made helicopter from Brazil for the Myanmar military, using falsified paperwork to make it appear to be for civilian use.
In 2017, MGW also arranged the purchase of two Fokker planes from an arm of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. The planes are now used to transport high-ranking military officials. In September, one flew to Moscow just as the deputy junta leader visited Russia.
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Kyaw Thaung's KT Group imported civilian transport for the Myanmar junta fleet
Kyaw Thaung’s KT Group handled the import from Europe of at least two turboprops and two transport planes that entered the Myanmar military fleet. The deals were made to look like commercial transfers to private companies rather than military procurement, to help avoid the possibility that the transactions might trigger European export bans placed on the Myanmar military.
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Junta's foreign ministry slams Western embassies' statement on Karen air raids
Heads of missions from Western countries issued a joint statement on December 24 about recent junta attacks on civilians including the shelling of villages in Karen State, calling them a violation of International Humanitarian Law.
In response, the junta’s foreign ministry said that: “the joint statement is based on unverifiable sources such as anti-government elements, terrorists and insurgent groups.” The Ministry also warned that such statements meddled in the internal affairs of Myanmar and violated the principles stipulated in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the Charter of the United Nations.
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Over 10,000 Karens have fled to Thailand, Thai dictator promises to take care of the refugees
The statement apparently ignored the fact that over 10,000 people from Karen State’s Lay Kay Kaw and the surrounding area have already been forced to flee across the border into Thailand to escape the military regime’s shelling and air attacks.
Even as Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, a former chief of the Thai army and a dictator himself, has publicly said he would take care of Myanmar refugees, Myanmar’s military still loves to lie blatantly and repeatedly.
Refs: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-junta-sentences-nld-leaders-and-activists-ahead-of-new-years-eve.html, https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/junta-watch-new-submarines-junta-massacres-civilians-in-southeast-myanmar-regime-uses-christians-for-propaganda-and-more.html
News (27 to (30) / Reporter : Dongfang Hao / Editor : Lian Shuhua / https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/22/1/1/n13473959.htm
News (27)
India intensively test-fires new weapons, deploys S400 to deal with China and Pakistan
Image : In December 2021, India deployed its first S-400 air defense missile system in response to the CCP and Pakistan. The picture shows the Russian S-400 air defense missile system. (Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images)
Indian defense research institutions and the military will intensively test fire at least seven new types of missile weapons in December 2021, including the ballistic missile "Agni-P" "(Agni-P), super long-range anti-submarine missile (SMART), and deployed the first S-400 air defense missile system. The U.S. Ambassador to India stated that it will promote U.S.-India cooperation in the field of defense and strengthen India’s border defense capabilities. The Indian media speculated that India might purchase five advanced weapons from the United States to deter the CCP and Pakistan.
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India intensively test-fires seven new weapons in one month
On 23 December 2021, the Indian Ministry of Defense announced that India had successfully tested a domestically-made Pralay ballistic missile that day. This is India’s second test-fire of this domestically-made conventional missile in two days. The Indian Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) successfully conducted this missile test in Odisha. The "Puraley" missile has a range of 150 kilometers to 500 kilometers and can be launched in a maneuverable manner.
The Indian Ministry of Defense said in a statement, "During the launch event on Thursday (December 23), the missile was tested with different payloads and ranges to prove the accuracy and lethality of this weapon."
Just before these two test launches of the "Pura Rai" missile, India successfully tested an "Agni-P" missile from the Abdul Kalam Island off the coast of Orissa on December 18. This is a new-generation ballistic missile that can carry a nuclear warhead, with a maximum range of up to 2000 kilometers.
The Hindustan Times website reported on 23 December that India also successfully tested a new type of domestically-made anti-tank missile a week ago and conducted a test of a domestically-made extended-range rocket. On December 11, the Indian Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and the Indian Air Force successfully conducted a self-developed test-fire of the SANT missile, which is equipped with advanced millimeter waveguide seekers. The range can be up to 10 kilometers; DRDO also announced on December 11 that it had successfully tested the "Pinaka-ER" (Pinaka-ER) extended-range rocket. The range of this rocket was increased from the original 36 kilometers. It's 48 kilometers.
On 13 December 2021, the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) of India announced that India had successfully tested the "Supersonic Missile Assisted Torpedo Launching System" (SMART) in the coastal city of Balasor in Orissa that day. The "Supersonic Missile-Assisted Torpedo Launching System" is a new type of anti-submarine weapon. According to a report from the Indian Defense Industry Department, this missile is equipped with an electrically-driven torpedo. Its warhead weighs 50 kilograms and has a range of about 20 km. By using missile boosters, the range of this weapon has been expanded to 400 miles (about 643 km). Above, the flight speed reaches Mach 3.
The "Navy News" website reported on 8 December that India successfully tested an air-launched "BrahMos" cruise missile from a Su-30MKI fighter jet that day.
"New India Express" reported on 7 December that the Indian Defense Research and Development Organization successfully conducted a live ammunition test of the VL-SRSAM (Vertical Launch Short-Range Air Defense Missile) at the test site in Chandipur that same day.
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India deploys its first S-400 missile defense system to respond to CCP China and Pakistan
On 20 December 2021, India’s "Economic Times" reported that the Indian Air Force deployed the first S-400 air defense missile system squadron in the Punjab region, which is a major improvement to India’s air defense capabilities.
A source from the Indian government said, “The first (S-400 air defense system) squadron was deployed in the Punjab area, which will be able to respond to air threats from Pakistan and China (the Chinese Communist Party).”
According to reports, in early December, some components of the S-400 air defense missile system provided by Russia have arrived in India and are expected to be put into use in the next few weeks. The equipment delivery of the first S-400 air defense system squadron is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
The source said that after the deployment of the first S-400 air defense system squadron, the Indian Air Force will begin to focus its deployment on the eastern border and begin to provide resources for personnel training in the country.
The relevant personnel of the Indian Air Force have previously received training on the S-400 system in Russia. According to the contract signed by India and Russia in 2018, India ordered 5 sets of S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile systems to Russia to respond to air threats within 400 kilometers. The S-400 missile defense system is equipped with four different missiles, which can strike enemy aircraft, ballistic missiles and early warning aircraft within 400 km, 250 km, 120 km in the medium range, and 40 km in the short range.
In early December, Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla announced that Russia had begun to deliver surface-to-air long-range missile systems. The statement was issued shortly after Russian President Putin visited India.
India’s “India Saga” news website reported on 20 November that India will deploy at least two S-400 systems before the beginning of 2022, and two Indian military teams trained in Russia will operate the S-400 systems. Beginning in 2022, India will deploy a set of S-400 air defense systems in the northern and eastern border regions of India to offset the advantages of the Chinese Communist army in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh (the Chinese call it southern Tibet).
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U.S. ambassador to India expresses its position to promote arms sales to India
On 19 December 2021, India’s "Eurasia Times" reported that Eric Garcetti, the U.S. Ambassador to India nominated by U.S. President Biden, recently stated that he is always ready to promote U.S. efforts. Strengthen India’s ability to defend the border and deter aggression.
"India is facing complicated relations with neighboring countries. If approved, I will redouble my efforts to strengthen India's ability to defend borders, defend sovereignty, and contain aggression." Gahiti told the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Gahiti also said that the way to respond to aggression should be information sharing, anti-terrorism systems, joint cruises and military exercises, and "selling our best defense technology to realize the full potential of our main defense partnership."
Since 2016, India’s defense cooperation with the United States has grown significantly. India has also purchased US weapon systems, and more deals are still in the pipeline. The report believes that Gahiti’s call for selling the best defense technology is aimed at arming India and fighting the CCP.
The report said that at the time of Gahiti’s remarks, India was facing a variety of problems in the border area. The friendly relations between the CCP and Pakistan, as well as the CCP’s attempt to provide advanced weapons to the Pakistani military, pose a major risk to India’s security and make India face the challenge of fighting on the two fronts.
The report said that the arrival of the new US ambassador to India is expected to strengthen the defense partnership between the two countries. The report speculated on the advanced equipment that India wanted to purchase from the United States, and listed five weapon systems that India might purchase from the United States.
The first weapon is the F-35 fighter jet. The report cited sources saying that the United States also wants to sell this fifth-generation fighter jet to India.
The second weapon is a nuclear-powered submarine. India may imitate the "AUKUS" trilateral security partnership reached between the United States, Britain and Australia and introduce US-made nuclear submarines. The Indian Navy currently has nuclear-powered submarines, but it wants attack nuclear submarines that can perform a variety of tactical tasks.
The third weapon is an armed drone. India has currently decided to purchase MQ-9 series drones from the United States. The Indian army is currently equipped with two MQ-9B drones leased from the United States.
The fourth weapon is a directed energy weapon system. At present, relevant Indian defense agencies are also developing related systems, and the United States can provide technical support and assistance to India, so that India's directed energy weapon system can be put into operation in a short time. The report mentioned that the CCP is already developing a variety of directed energy weapon systems, including laser weapons, which makes India urgently need to deploy its own directed energy weapons.
The last weapon is the strategic bomber.
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