13-Jun-2017: Panama dumps Taiwan, supports One-China policy
In a jolt to Taiwan and boost to Beijing’s diplomacy, Panama has severed ties with the country and recognised it as an “indispensable” part of China under the “One-China Policy”. With Panama switching sides, Taiwan’s decades-old attempt to act as a “sovereign country” would likely face fresh challenges. Over the years Beijing has tried to choke Taiwan diplomatically in a bid to force the self-ruled island to accept itself as a part of China.
The policy states in diplomatic acknowledgement that there is only one Chinese government. Under the policy, any country that wants diplomatic relations with mainland China must break official ties with Taipei that it considers a ‘breakaway province.’
Beijing doesn’t trust present Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and her ruling party, which advocates independence for Taiwan. After Tsai came to power last year, China had cut official communication channels with her government in a bid to pressure her to accept that Taiwan is part of China. A year ago, Taiwan had diplomatic ties with 23 countries. But in the last one year itself, as many as three countries have severed diplomatic ties with the country, which is claimed by China as its own — a part of the mainland. In 2007, Costa Rica was the first of Taiwan’s Central American partners to switch allegiance to China. It was southern African nation of Malawi in 2008. Gambia in West Africa followed suit in 2013. Last year, small African states Sao Tome and Principe switched ties from Taiwan to China.
6-Apr-2017: Thailand's king has signed the country's military-backed constitution.
The new constitution paves way for Thailand to hold elections but critics are wary of increased power of the military.
Voters approved the constitution by a wide margin, two years after the Thai military seized power in a coup. The junta has argued that this constitution is a necessity to restore stability in the country.
The new constitution constrains further elected governments with an appointed senate, and commits governments to follow the military's 20-year development plan.
But this is actually a slightly different document than the one Thailand voted on. It contains six changes made at the request of new King Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun, who acceded after the death of his father in October.
Those changes expand the power of the monarchy. For example, according to the Bangkok Post, the king may leave the country without appointing another regent. Also, it removes a requirement for the king to call a meeting with the heads of top courts and the Senate in the event of a constitutional crisis.
Thailand has had so many constitutions in its modern history — this is the 20th since 1932 — that many of them were introduced with little fanfare. But the extravagant ceremony requested by the king is seen as a sign of royal approval.
Rights groups were critical in the lead-up to the referendum, saying that the ruling junta had stifled dissenting opinions and debate about the draft. Dozens were reportedly detained for encouraging people to vote against.
Now, Amnesty International is concerned that the new document will not protect human rights.
Thailand's military government retains its carte blanche authority to rule by diktat until elections are held, and future governments will have free rein to restrict human rights on various vaguely defined grounds. The new constitution also keeps in place the full gamut of orders and decrees imposed by the military government since the 2014 coup, which have facilitated widespread human rights violations.
21-Jan-2017: Turkish parliament approves constitutional reform bill
The Turkish parliament has approved a constitutional reform bill that includes strengthening the powers of the presidency, a move that paves the way for a referendum this year that could see President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in office until 2029.
The constitutional reform bill was approved overnight with 339 votes in the 550-member assembly, parliament said on its official Twitter account on Saturday. The legislation needed at least 330 deputies to support it in order to go to a public vote.
Referred to as the ‘Turkish-style presidency,’ the constitutional change will bring about a number of reforms, and replace the current parliamentary system in which the president serves only as a ceremonial figurehead alongside a prime minister, with a presidential system, which will allow the president to become the sole executive head of state in the country.
More importantly, the office of the prime minister and the cabinet will be abolished and the president will become the head of the executive branch.
The reform would enable the president to issue decrees, declare emergency rule, appoint ministers and top state officials and dissolve parliament – powers that the two main opposition parties say strip away balances to Erdogan’s power.
With the reforms, the president will be allowed to retain ties to a political party, potentially allowing Erdogan to resume his leadership of the AK Party, in a move that opposition parties say will abolish any chance of impartiality.
The plans also envisage presidential and general elections to be held together in 2019 with a president eligible to serve a maximum two five-year terms.