šŸ‡µšŸ‡­ Indonesian police snag Alice Guo

The Pope touches down, Cabinet approved in Thailand and a weird one in Malaysia

Hello friends!

I am on the lovely Atauro Island of Timor-Leste this week and the wi-fi is spotty ā€” but thankfully working enough to have spotted the Alice Guo story immediately after it broke. I feel a bit like those old vox pops they got in Boston after Whitey Bulger was arrested. ā€˜They got Alice! You canā€™t run forever!ā€™ 

A lot to come on that front. Elsewhere, a few updates as the Pope begins his regional trip in Jakarta, the new(ish) cabined in Thailand is officially approved and Malaysiaā€™s sticky one on the South China Sea. 

Iā€™ve been warned that all of Timor is expected to shut up shop next week as the Pope arrives ā€” judging by the sheer volume of billboards and kids in t-shirts, this is, if anything, underplayed ā€” so donā€™t expect to hear from me until the end of the week. Will this ostensibly Australian Catholic, among the laziest Catholics in the world, become a true believer after watching Papa Frankie drive down the street? Letā€™s see! 

See you then,

Erin Cook

šŸ‡µšŸ‡­ Alice! Alice! Where the heck is Alice! (Tangerang immigration detention)

Alice Guo shortly after arrest, c/o the Bureau of Immigration

They got her! They got Alice Guo late Tuesday night. And in Tangerang of all places. The satellite city to the west of Jakarta is just about the weirdest place Iā€™d expect them to find her ā€” though it is home to Jakartaā€™s airport ā€” after all the theories of where sheā€™d ended up. 

Interestingly, thereā€™s no warrant out for Guoā€™s arrest beyond the Senate for contempt. I didnā€™t think of that. But Rappler reports the Indonesian authorities probably stung her on immigration violations (thereā€™s no visa option for ā€˜running from the Filipino Senateā€™ as far as Iā€™m aware). Now, sheā€™ll be deported back to the Philippines and land in Immigrationā€™s arms before the National Bureau of Investigation gets involved and then hand her over to the Senate.

She should still expect some criminal charges: ā€œOf course, we will file charges against her, criminal charges before turning her over to the Senate,ā€ NBI Director Jaime Santiago said in a radio interview Wednesday, as per the Inquirer.

And, of course, this being a Philippines-Indonesia crossover event means the gags online have been thick and fast. 

Thereā€™s not really much to report as yet, but I couldnā€™t contain myself! What a strange turn of events. 

šŸ‡²šŸ‡¾ A leaked memo and a South China Sea face-off

Donā€™t worry about that leaked classified memo, says the Malaysian Foreign Ministry. Itā€™s referring to a memo from Chinaā€™s embassy in Kuala Lumpur to the foreign ministry, dated in February, that appeared in the Philippinesā€™ paper of record the Inquirer last week. ā€˜The note ā€¦ demanded Malaysia to immediately halt all activities in an oil-rich area off Sarawak watersā€™ reports Malaysiakini. It protests explorations in Beting Raja Jarum and Beting Patinggi Ali ā€” referred to in the memo by their Chinese names ā€” which are two spots in the Sprtalys firmly in the Malaysian exclusive economic zone of the South China Sea. 

ā€œChina highly values China-Malaysia relations and is open to resolving maritime disputes amicably through dialogue, launching the China-Malaysia consultative mechanism for resolving maritime issues as soon as possible, promoting practical cooperation at sea including joint oil and gas developments, and preserving peace and stability in the South China Sea as well as the positive momentum in China-Malaysia relations,ā€ the memo said. Oh, for sure. 

ISEASā€™ Ian Storey has a well-timed analysis here for Channel News Asia that rejects criticisms that Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahimā€™s government may be shifting its policy in the South China Sea as part of a broader more pro-China move. Thatā€™s not really the case here, writes Storey, and things have been ā€˜broadly consistentā€™ with the past. 

How the memo came to be in the hands of the Inquirer is up for investigation. The Foreign Ministry said it would file a police report and launch a hunt to find out how it leaked: ā€œThe ministry views the leak of this document, which constitutes an official communication channel between the two countries, with grave concern,ā€ the ministry said in a statement, as per Reuters

šŸ‡¹šŸ‡­ Continuity is the game in Thailandā€™s new cabinet

Thailand's King Maha Vajiralongkorn has gazetted the new cabinet compiled by Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra and itā€™s hardly a game-changer. 

Pichai Chunhavajira will stay on as finance minister, Bloomberg reports. He was tapped for the role in Srettha Thavisinā€™s ill-fated cabinet reshuffle back in April. Call it a ā€˜a signal of policy continuity,ā€™ Bloomberg reports. We shouldnā€™t expect to see too many changes in fiscal policy, in that case, and that darned digital wallet may well live to see another day, though itā€™s previously been tipped for a review. 

Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa, Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Energy Minister Pirapan Salirathavibhaga will also stay on, Nikkei Asia reports here. Any suspected party dramas were dodged: ā€œWe see a little change as key coalition parties, including Pheu Thai and Bhumjaithai, retained the key positions,ā€ Boonyakiat Karavekphan of the political science faculty at Ramkhamhaeng University, told Nikkei. 

Nikkei flagged the shift of Commerce Minister Phumtham Wechayachai to Defence, noting Phumtham is a good friend of Sretthaā€™s. This could mean Pheu Thai is after a stronger hand on national security issues for the term ahead, Nikkei writes. 

šŸ‡®šŸ‡© Pope Francis performs a miracle: drives down Sudirman unencumbered

Pope Francis has swung by Jakarta ā€” capital of the worldā€™s most populous Muslim country, of course ā€” as he kicks off his Asia-Pacific tour. He counselled against religious extremism: ā€œIn this way, prejudices can be eliminated, and a climate of mutual respect and trust can grow ā€¦ This is indispensable for meeting common challenges, including that of countering extremism and intolerance, which through the distortion of religion attempt to impose their views by using deception and violence,ā€ he said, as reported by Reuters

Separately, President Joko Widodo noted the Popeā€™s previous comments on the war on Gaza saying ā€œIndonesia appreciates the Vatican's attitude which continues to voice (and) call for peace in Palestine, and supports a two-state solution.ā€ Elsewhere, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said the President and the Pope did not explicitly discuss the conflict in their one-on-one remarks. 

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