Philippines frees DPRK ship after UN embargo lifted
Philippine authorities announced the release of a DPRK freighter it seized a month ago as no contraband was found on board and the ship was no longer on the UN blacklist.
M/V Jin Teng of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) docked at Subic Port in Manila, the Philippines on March 4. (Photo: AFP/VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) - Philippine authorities announced the release of a DPRK freighter 🌃it seized a month ago as no contraband was found on board and the ship was no longer on the U🔯N blacklist.
On March 6, the Philippines impounded M/V Jin Teng of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) - a 6,830-deadweight-tonne cargo ship with 21 crew members onboard. The arrest was in line with the UN's sanctions against Pyongyang over its nuclear programme.
The Philippine coast guard inspected the ship and found no contraband except some broken navigation aids.
Reuters quoted Charles Jose, a foreign ministry spokesman, as saying: "At the policy level, there is no more basis to continue to hold M/V Jin Teng after U.N. Security Council delisted it from the annex of UNSC Resolution 2270."
The freighter left the Philippines on March 24 for China .
M/V Jin Teng arrived in the Philippines from Palembang, Indonesia on March 3, just hours after the UN Security Council unanimously passed Resolution No. 2207, tightening its sanctions against Pyongyang following its fourth nuclear test on January 6 and a long-range rocket launch on February 7.
Under the resolution, all countries will monitor every freighter to and from the DPRK. It blacklisted 31 ships owned by DPRK shipping firm Ocean Maritime Management Company (OMM).
But the U.N. Security Council agreed earlier this week to China 's request to remove sanctions on four blacklisted ships as they were not OMM’s and committed not to employ crews from the DPRK in the future. The four ships included the Jin Teng.-VNA
The Philippine coast guard on March 6 said it was closely watching a freighter of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and its 21 crew members.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a 123 million USD loan for the Philippines to construct a new water tunnel connecting Angat Dam in Bulacan province to Metro Manila’s water supply.
The Republic of Korea (RoK), China and Japan agreed on May 3 to reinforce the regional financial safety net, along with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), by launching a new financing facility programme meant to extend greater support in case of a financial crisis.
A technical issue combined with an extreme heatwave was blamed for a series of explosions at a military base that killed 20 soldiers and injured several others in Cambodia on April 27, the country’s Ministry of Defence said in a May 2 statement as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
The Customs Department of Thailand is scheduled to commence the collection of value-added tax (VAT) on imported goods sent via postal services, regardless of the goods value, starting in May.
A lecturer from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine has warned Thais to be more vigilant against COVID-19, saying infection rates appeare to be worsening with higher hospital admissions, deaths and severe cases.
Malaysia should harness the collective expertise and resources to drive sustainable growth and development of the halal industry, according to Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
Laos has officially restored the 10% value-added tax (VAT) rate starting May 1, in a bid to support the country’s budget revenue and socio-economic development.
The ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) entered its second plenary session in Hanoi on the afternoon of April 23, discussing ways to ensure comprehensive security for the people-centred ASEAN Community.
The first session of the ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) in Hanoi on April 23 focused on fast and sustainable growth for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) and the ASEAN Alliance on Carbon Markets (AACM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration and accelerate the implementation of carbon crediting programmes across Southeast Asia.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn reaffirmed ASEAN leaders' commitment to empowering the youth to unleash their full potential when he had a dialogue with ASEAN youth in Hanoi on April 22 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Future Forum (AF 2024).
The Thai Government is being urged to increase the proportion of renewable power generation to more than the target of 50% set in the power development plan (PDP).
The Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) of Indonesia on April 21 lifted its tsunami advisory issued previously following the eruption of Mount Ruang in Sitaro district of North Sulawesi province.
Thailand expects to export about 1 million tonnes of durian, valued at an estimated 130 billion THB (3.53 billion USD) this year, with most of the shipments to China, according to Minister of Agriculture Thammanat Prompao.
The 72nd meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) and related meetings are being held by the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of Vietnam in the central city of Da Nang on April 22-26.
Enhancing regional food security and tackling the pressing challenges of climate change will be key agendas defining Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (lower house) Johari Abdul told the press on April 19.
M/V Jin Teng of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) docked at Subic Port in Manila, the Philippines on March 4. (Photo: AFP/VNA)
