Research, editing : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA
News on Myanmar, CCP, U.S.
News (1)
Myanmar’s Cocos Islands engaging in infrastructure construction, experts point out that it is a base for the CCP
Reporter : Li Zhaoxi / Editor : Lin Qing / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2023/04/04/a103682933.html / Image : Coco Islands in southern Myanmar. (Google Maps)
As the CCP expands its power around the world, the Coco Islands in southern Myanmar have attracted attention. Civil war-torn Myanmar is spending millions of dollars upgrading a runway and military installation on one of its remote islands, new satellite images show, in a move experts say may have ties to its closest ally, CCP China.
The Coco Islands are located at the northernmost tip of the Andaman Islands, and their strategic location is extremely important. Great Coco is the largest of the islands.
The Cocos are just 55 km from Indian military installations in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and 1,200 km from the narrow Strait of Malacca. The Strait of Malacca, which lies between Malaysia and Indonesia, passes through the strait each year for a large portion of global trade, including most of Beijing's oil and gas imports.
If China were able to gain access to air and naval installations on Grand Coco Island, it would challenge the balance of power along the critical international Sea Line of Communication (SLOC). SLOC is a term describing the major sea lanes between ports used for trade, logistics and naval use.
Darshana Baruah, an analyst at the Observer Research Foundation, an Indian think tank, warned in 2015 that for China, they may find a way to reduce their dependence on the Strait of Malacca.
It is also one explanation for Myanmar's inexplicable expansion and projects on the remote Koh Koh Koh. Given the existential crisis facing the ruling junta, there must be compelling reasons to invest there.
Recent satellite photos show two new hangars, new accommodation facilities, and a new road to the southernmost tip of Grand Coco Island.
Control of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands gave India command of the Eastern Fleet in the Bay of Bengal and control of the Indian Ocean passage to the Strait of Malacca. Beijing has long expressed concern that the shipping it relies on must pass through the Strait of Malacca or other narrow Indonesian waterways.
Therefore, the CCP is actively "improving" its relations with countries bordering the Indian Ocean, from Djibouti and Pakistan in the west, to Sri Lanka and the Maldives in the centre, and to Myanmar in the east.
China already has significant naval and air force installations in Djibouti. Bases in Pakistan are under construction. There has been great concern over China's "debt trap" control of a major port in Sri Lanka and similar overinvestment in the Maldives.
Now, all the CCP needs is a "bypass" in the Strait of Malacca. Despite the crisis facing Myanmar's military junta, Beijing is doubling down on efforts to develop the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, which would provide southern China with direct access to the Indian Ocean.
"Should Myanmar fully establish this base, it would be able to monitor flights to and from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands," says independent international think-tank Chatham House in a new report. Given the well-established intelligence work of the Chinese Communist Party, local intelligence from Grand Coco Island may have flowed into Shanghai.
Damien Symon, author of the Chatham House report, said: "The expanded air base (on Great Coco Island) raises the possibility that India may soon have to compete with the Tatmadaw, which monitors the movements of the Myanmar Junta army warships to fight.”
"The militarization of the Coco Islands by the Myanmar Junta army, coupled with China's (Communist) wider development in (Myanmar's) interior, could pose a major security challenge."
News (2) to (15) / Editor : Li Hong / https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2023/04/04/a103682774.html
News (2)
[UPDATES] Trump attends first arraignment in "hush money" case on Tuesday
Image : Former U.S. President Donald Trump waves as he arrives at Trump Tower in New York, April 3, 2023. (ED Jones/AFP via Getty Images)
On 4 April 2023, EST, former US President Trump is going to Manhattan Criminal Court to attend the first arraignment of the "hush money" case. Trump will then return to Florida and speak at Mar-a-Lago, his office said.
The world's eyes are on New York on Tuesday, with the focus on the criminal indictment, which has been kept secret, and Trump's public remarks later in the day.
Trump's attorney, Joe Tacopina, said he wanted to file a motion to dismiss all charges, arguing that the prosecution of Trump is a sign that "the rule of law in America is dead."
The arraignment began at 2:15 p.m. Tuesday, according to court schedules, and court officials said it was expected to last about 15 minutes to 30 minutes.
The judge is expected to read out the charges against Trump. Trump will then be escorted out. He will then return to Florida to speak at Mar-a-Lago at 8.15 pm.
Last Thursday (30 March), a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Trump on charges he made hush money payments to an adult film star ahead of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. But the details of the indictment are being kept under wraps pending the arraignment.
Trump, 76, has denied wrongdoing and called the investigation a "witch hunt."
Trump's personal lawyer's $130,000 "hush money" payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election has been a focus of past investigations.
Trump has denied the charges and pleaded not guilty. Trump has beefed up his legal team, hiring prominent white-collar criminal defense attorney and former U.S. Attorney Todd Blanche to lead his defense.
Blanch, who represented Trump's 2016 campaign chairman Paul Manafort, had the New York state fraud charges dismissed against him.
The judge in charge of the case is Juan Merchan, who also presided over the criminal case against Trump's real estate company last year. Trump's company charged with tax fraud. Trump himself has not been charged in the case.
Trump is the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges. He has announced his participation in the 2024 presidential election and is considered an important challenger to the incumbent Democratic President Biden.
The following is the real-time update of Trump's response to the "hush money" case in Manhattan court compiled by The Epoch Times:
News (3)
Manhattan District Attorney removes relevant content from its website
The "Meet Our Team" page on the Manhattan District Attorney's Office website was active as of last Friday (31 March 2023), but is now defunct.
This page provides biographies of some of the top prosecutors working under District Attorney Alvin Bragg. When I visited the page on Tuesday, it was found to be "not found".
News (4)
Lawyer: Trump expected to speak in court before and after arraignment
A lawyer for Trump said he expected the former president to speak to cameras in the hallway outside the Manhattan courtroom before and after Tuesday's arraignment.
Chris Kise, one of Trump's lawyers, said he met with him at Trump Tower last night.
"The president is gritty, upbeat, and as determined as ever to fight unjust drivers." Keys also said that newly hired attorney Todd Blanche is "a strong addition to the legal team." ".
News (5)
New Yorkers respond to Trump arraignment
Image : On 4 April 2023, Donald Trump (Trump) will appear in court to be arraigned by a judge. People line up outside Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, including members of the media who lined up overnight trying to enter the courtroom. (Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
In response to Trump being arraigned on criminal charges, Fox News conducted a brief interview with several Americans outside Trump Tower and asked them their views on the matter.
"I think the administration is screwing up, and they think it's going to make it impossible for Trump to get reelected," said Allen, who is from the Bronx. "I think it's going to backfire."
Bill thought he would be convicted. "I don't think he'll do anything in prison but get convicted and he won't win re-election."
"I don't think it's just," said Taysha, from New York. "Crime is up, murders are up, carjackings — all crime is up, but that's what (the Manhattan District Attorney Bai Airong) What should I pay attention to?"
"I'd rather you pay attention to people who are pushing people and knocking people's heads on the subway," she added.
News (6)
News Trump sued New York sheriff: A circus show from all sides
Former President Donald Trump will appear in court Tuesday afternoon to be arraigned by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, former New York Fulton County District Attorney Richard Giardino respond.
"It's going to be a circus show," Giardino said. "I mean, I don't think we've seen anything like this since the OJ Simpson or Bill Clinton hearings."
"First of all, Bai Airong is the wrong candidate." He said, "because when he ran for district attorney, his campaign platform was that he wanted to 'fix Trump'."
News (7)
Trump lawyer: There will be no guilty plea in this case
Donald Trump's arraignment in Manhattan today could be "a typical process, it doesn't take long, 20-30 minutes". His attorney, Joe Tacopina, told ABC that the former president was treated like anyone else.
Tacopina said discussions between Trump's legal team and prosecutors were "about some procedural stuff, not the substance of the indictment."
When ABC host George Stephanopoulos suggested that Trump could simply plead guilty to the misdemeanor charge to get the case settled, Tacopina responded, You warrant that there will be no guilty plea in this case."
"I don't think this case is going to see a jury," he explained, explaining that he thought the case would stop at the indictment.
As for whether Trump would be subject to other restrictions, Tacopina said: "There is no indication that a gag order will be issued. That cannot happen in this case."
News (8)
How Trump legal team plans to respond to allegations
A lawyer for former President Donald Trump told CNN on Sunday (April 2) that once the indictment is released, his legal team will challenge "every potential issue" in it.
"We're not going to do anything at the arraignment because it's going to be a show, that's all, because we haven't even seen the indictment yet," Joe Tacopina told CNN. Go through the indictment, dissect it, and the team will go through every potential issue that we can challenge, and we'll challenge it."
Tacopina and other Trump lawyers have done several television interviews ahead of the former president's first arraignment on Tuesday, when he will learn about the charges against him approved by a Manhattan grand jury.
Lawyers have been unable to seek the dismissal of the charges because the full charges are still unknown. The key question is that the judge will ultimately decide whether the charges have sufficient legal basis to allow the case to go to trial.
"We can speculate about evidence that we think they may or may not have, but even if the indictment comes out, we really won't," former Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance told NBC News Sunday. Knowing what the district attorney's evidence is, what they're going to present at trial."
Vance's team had previously investigated the case, but no charges were filed, leaving the case to his successor, Alvin Bragg.
Tacopina hinted in a television interview on Sunday that the statute of limitations may have passed and said Trump's businesses did not cheat their books. Moreover, even if the other party accuses the misdemeanor of making false accounts, it has far exceeded the statute of limitations.
"So they had to piece it all together and try to get a felony charge," he said.
News (9)
Trump hires new defense attorney in response to New York arraignment
Former President Donald Trump has hired Todd Blanche as his lead attorney to defend charges brought by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, Politico reports.
Blanche is currently a partner at law firm Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft. He has previously represented Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and Igor Fruman, a former aide to Rudy Giuliani and Trump ally. He is a key figure in Trump's first impeachment trial.
Meanwhile, Joe Tacopina and Susan Necheles will remain on Trump's legal team. A senior Trump adviser told CNN that Blanche was hired to add more legal leverage to Trump's defense.
News (10)
Possible procedures for Trump's hearing
Trump is the first former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges. Here are the likely scenarios for Trump's hearing on Tuesday.
1. The Secret Service will accompany Trump to the district attorney's office, which is in the same building as the courthouse.
2. Investigators will register Trump, including taking his fingerprints. Normally, a photo would be taken, but sources said Trump may not have been photographed because his appearance is so well known and authorities feared the photo would be leaked improperly, which would violate state law.
3. After Trump has registered, he will be taken to the floor where the court is located through the corridor and elevator at the back. He will then enter the courtroom via the public corridor.
4. Trump is not expected to be handcuffed and armed federal agents are expected to accompany and protect him.
5. After Trump will be taken to court, where the indictment will be unsealed, he will formally face the charges. After his arraignment, Trump will almost certainly be released on his own recognizance.
6. Typically, released defendants walk out the front door, but the Secret Service wants to reduce Trump's time and space in public. So, once the court hearing is over, Trump is expected to travel through the public hallway again, into the back passage, to the district attorney's office, and back to where his motorcade is waiting.
7. Subsequently, Trump will go to the airport, and he is going to return to Mar-a-Lago, where he is expected to deliver a public speech that night.
News (11)
Trump campaign raises more than $8 million in 4 days
After Trump was indicted, the enthusiasm of supporters continued undiminished. Trump's top campaign adviser, Jason Miller, revealed Monday night that the campaign has raised more than $8 million since last week's four jury votes to indict Trump.
On 3 April 2023, the media had already waited one day earlier outside the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City. Former U.S. President Trump will go to the court on the afternoon of April 4 for registration, fingerprinting and photo taking. (Leonardo Munoz/AFP via Getty Images)
News (12)
Judge: No media live streaming allowed, electronic devices banned
Acting New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan on Monday night rejected requests from media outlets, including CNN, to livestream Tuesday's Trump arraignment.
Trump will be the same as most arraignments in Manhattan court. It is a public processbut news cameras are generally not allowed to record from inside the courtroom.
Merchan also banned the use of "cell phones, laptops or any electronic devices" in court.
But he gave permission for five photojournalists to take still photos of Trump for a few minutes at the start of the arraignment "until they are instructed by court staff to leave the jury box." In addition, journalists can take photos in the hallway.
Journalists will enter the courtroom on a first-come, first-served basis. The arraignment schedule is set to begin at 2.15pm on Tuesday. From 3:00 pm on Monday, the media has already started queuing up to enter.
In the United States, a person is innocent until convicted.
Earlier on Monday, Trump's lawyers urged the judge to deny the media's request for live cameras in the courtroom, arguing that it would turn the courtroom into a circus-like atmosphere.
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office, which is prosecuting, told the judge it had no position.
Merchant wrote in Monday night's court order that media requests to air Trump's subpoenas are understandable, but there must be a "competing relationship" in giving news organizations the broadest possible access.
At the same time, he also said: "This indictment addresses an issue of great significance. This is not in dispute. Never in the history of the United States has a current or former president been indicted on criminal charges."
"Mr. Trump's subpoena has generated unprecedented public interest and media attention," he wrote. "The public rightfully desires the most accurate and up-to-date information."
Image : A file photo of Alina Habba, a New York State lawyer who represented former President Trump in a civil lawsuit. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
News (13)
Trump civil attorney: He's ready
New York State Attorney Alina Habba, who represented former President Trump in the civil lawsuit, said on Monday (April 3) that Trump is in a good state of mind, as usual.
"He's ready to do what he needs to do tomorrow," Haba told Fox News' Jesse Watters show.
Habba met with Trump, who just came from Florida, on Monday.
She said Trump had already planned for Tuesday's hearing.
"If there are no surprises, I think (tomorrow's hearing) should go well. We are trying to coordinate and work with everyone to make sure there are no problems," she said.
Regarding whether Trump can get a fair trial in Manhattan criminal court, Harba said no. "I think it's very difficult," she said.
"I've been working for Trump for a few years, I've been in court in New York for a few years, and I can tell you that representing him is not treated the same as representing anyone else," she said.
News (14)
Poll: Trump's party support soars
Polls show his popularity rising sharply among Republicans. Trump now leads Florida Gov. DeSantis by 26 points in the Republican primary, with 57 percent to 31 percent, respectively. Two weeks ago, the gap was only 8 percentage points.
In addition, the latest ABCNews/lpsos poll after the prosecution also showed that before the indictment was unsealed, nearly half (47%) of Americans believed that the prosecution was politically motivated, and some Thirty-two percent thought there was no political motivation, and 20 percent were unsure.
Among them, nearly eight in 10 (79%) Republicans believed the charges were politically motivated.
News (15)
The ins and outs of the hush money case
According to previous US media reports, Daniels accused Trump of having an extramarital affair with her in 2006. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump’s lawyer paid her $130,000 in hush money as a guarantee for her not to expose the extramarital affair. remuneration.
Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels and said he never suggested that his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, pay Daniels hush money.
Cohen said he paid the hush money at Trump's direction.
Trump acknowledged paying Cohen a fee but said it had nothing to do with his campaign finances, and the Trump Organization said the fee to Cohen was a legal expense.
One charge that Manhattan district attorneys have been pursuing is the way Trump reimbursed Cohen, according to several people familiar with the matter, the Financial Times said. According to Cohen, the money was falsely recorded in company records as legal fees.
Falsifying business records is a misdemeanor, or less serious crime, under New York state law. If the forgery was to cover up another crime, it would rise to a felony and could result in a four-year prison sentence.
In this case, the indictment against Trump may be an alleged violation of campaign finance laws because the money was supposed to help the Trump campaign.
Still, campaign finance violations are the purview of federal law. Lawyers are not clear whether New York state law and federal law can be combined in this way. One former prosecutor's staffer called it "a clean shot" — and one that had never been attempted before.
What loopholes might there be in the prosecution's case?
Al Jazeera reported that it was difficult to assess the case itself without knowing the exact charges and what evidence prosecutors had collected during the investigation, which took more than four years.
But based on the information so far available, legal experts have identified several features of the case that could stand in the way of the Manhattan district attorney seeking a guilty verdict against Trump.
First of all, the credibility of Cohen's testimony relied on by the prosecutor is very low, and he is an important source of evidence and testimony for the prosecutor to file a criminal case against Trump, so the prosecution's allegations are easily challenged.
Cohen reached a deal with prosecutors in 2018, pleaded guilty to nine felonies and was sentenced to three years in federal prison.
At the same time, he has repeatedly expressed strong resentment against Trump and regrets his previous experience as Trump's personal lawyer.
Moreover, it has been more than five years since Cohen paid the adult film star in 2016, and the New York statute of limitations for most crimes is five years. Of course, there are some exceptions to the statute of limitations, such as when the defendant lives out of state.
Finally, another potential difficulty for prosecutors is that Trump could argue that Cohen, as a lawyer, should have made the payments and handled the related paperwork in a legal manner.
Image : The picture shows Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. (Lin Yijun/The Epoch Times)
Who is the Manhattan district attorney who sued Trump?
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is in charge of prosecuting Trump's "hush money" case. He has served as the Manhattan district attorney since 2022 and is the first African-American district attorney in Manhattan.
During his campaign for district attorney, Bai Airong promised to sue Trump. At that time, his predecessor had reached an impasse in the investigation of Trump's "hush money" case. The Federal Election Commission also looked into the matter but dropped it.
White took over from his predecessor and continued a years-long grand jury investigation into Trump's alleged payments to Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Bragg also oversaw tax fraud prosecutions against Trump-owned companies. The Trump Organization and Trump Payroll were convicted and fined $810,000 and $800,000, respectively, late last year. Trump has not been personally charged.
Bragg, who has pushed for fewer incarcerations since taking office in 2022, has said his office will no longer prosecute more nonviolent crimes.
Major crimes will surge in 2022, hitting a 15-year high, according to the New York City Police Department. The New York police union accused Bragg of being weak on crime.
Newslinks of 5 April 2023
Historic Persecution: Partisan DA arrests Donald Trump in Manhattan
Trump pleads not guilty to 34 charges in New York
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