Indonesian Police Crackdown on LGBT Community in Aceh

Police raided several beauty salons in the conservative province in Aceh, rounding up a group of transgender women who had been accused of making fun of young boys. The police provided the reasoning as violating the province’s religious laws and had to hold back a crowd of locals from attacking the transgender group.

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Police proceeded to “re-educate” the Trans people by cutting their hair and demanding them to talk in masculine voices. The police chief comments that the re-education is necessary as “their numbers are growing”. Aceh is the only province in Indonesia where homosexuality is illegal and LGBT people are often criminalized with an anti-pornography law.

Aceh has been granted autonomy to be governed by Islamic law since 2001. The Trans women will be arrested until they complete their “training program” to become manlier.

Amnesty International in Indonesia has spoken out against the treatment of the transgender women saying it is a breach of “human rights” and needs to be investigated.

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Infamous Serial Beggar of South East Asia Blacklisted from Thailand

Holst, who uses his abnormally large leg that he says, is from elephantitis to beg for money in South East Asian countries has been evicted from countries such as Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea and permanently blacklisted from Thailand. 

The eviction and blacklisted occurred as he used the funds he supposedly begged for to get back to his home country Germany on hookers and alcohol.

Holst has updated his social media to show not only his new African wife but his new name as he has converted to the Muslim faith. He is now known as “Benjamin Mohamed Drammeh”. He hopes to use his new name to gain entrance into Thailand again.

Chaninat & Leeds, an expert Bangkok based law firm further discusses the implication of blacklisting in Thailand.

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Applying for a US visa from Thailand can be complicated and time consuming matter. Contact Bangkok based lawyers that have expertise on US-Thai immigration laws. 

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Myanmar Reuters Reporters Case Continues Despite International Condemnation

The Myanmar police have yet to release the two Reuters reports that were arrested last year in December for acquiring “important secret papers” from the police who sparked the refugee crisis of the Rohingya people in the Rakhine state. Their lawyer, Than Zaw Aung has tried to appeal for bail but was dismissed by a judge announcing their next hearing to occur on the 23^rd of January.

The pair is being charged for violating Myanmar’s Official Secrets Act and may be sentenced for up to 14 years. The arrest of the journalists despite widespread criticism from human rights and media groups has exposed the deterioration of press freedom in Myanmar. Media outlets and journalists are wary of reporting on “sensitive topics” in fear of harassment or arrest.

Myanmar’s continual use of colonial-era suppression of the media has caused criticism over the nation’s new civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi, a recent Nobel Laureate Prize winner. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Amnesty International have called for the immediate release of journalists. Bill Clinton tweeted that “a free press is critical to a free society and the detention of journalists anywhere is unacceptable”.

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A law firm with licensed US immigration lawyers in Thailand can assist you with your US visa Thailand application by assisting with completion of all necessary forms and documentation. 

Vietnam Communist Government Launches Anti-Corruption Sweep

The government has put on trial 22 executives who have been charged with losses of Vietnam’s oil firm, PetroVietnam. Among the executives, is the first politburo member to face a trial in decades.

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The trial follows a crackdown on corruption and mismanagement of the banking and energy industries. Of the executives being charged, 12 are accused of economic mismanagement and eight are accused of embezzlement. The seriousness of these offenses may result in the death penalty or 20 years in prison.

The corruption crackdown is rumored to be politically driven and aimed at those who are close to the former PM Nguyen Tan Dung. One of the Politburo members on trial was said to be kidnapped from a park in Berlin and taken back to Vietnam against his will to face charges of more than $150 million from PetroVietnam.

However, when he appeared in court on national television, he stated that the decision to return home was his own.

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Chinese Regulators Implement $15,000 Annual Restriction on ATM’s Overseas

Regulators consider the $15,000 cap to be sufficient for Chinese overseas who wish to withdraw from mainland Chinese banks. The new policy was implemented to halt the excessive outpour of money from China through Bitcoin and other crypto currencies.

The average Chinese resident overseas withdrew from Chinese banks totaled to about a third of the new restriction, so regulators do not think there should be any issues. However, Chinese politicians and oligarchs would be exempt from the restrictions through the use of loopholes and virtual currency.

Chinese residents must comply with this new policy or face a punishment of being barred from withdrawing cash overseas from Chinese banks for up to two years. The punishment hopes to deter individuals from getting involved with money laundering and tax evasion.

Since the introduction of Bitcoin in China in 2015 there has been an increased outflow of currency to about $40 trillion. The Chinese government are hoping the new policy will aid in slowing down the outpour.

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