A protest that turned deadly at a plant in Indonesia exposes a culture clash.
Welcome to VOA Asia Weekly. I'm Chris Casquejo in Washington. That story is just ahead, but first, making headlines.
The U.S will impose additional sanctions on the Russian private military company, the Wagner Group, that has been aiding Russia's military in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The White House also released images of Russia taking delivery of an arms shipment from North Korea intended to help Wagner fight alongside Russian troops.
Some good news for Sri Lanka. The deeply indebted South Asian nation expects to get a moratorium for some of its debt repayment to China, one of its largest creditors. Meanwhile, India, another major lender, pledges to participate in IMF’s $2.9 billion debt relief program currently under negotiation. Sri Lanka is bankrupt and has suspended repayment of its $51 billion foreign debt.
Pakistan’s prime minister on Tuesday apologized to the nation for a major, daylong power outage on Monday that disrupted normal life across the country and drew criticism from millions who were left without electricity amid the harsh winter weather.
In New Zealand, Chris Hipkins was sworn in as prime minister in a formal ceremony on Wednesday, following the surprise resignation of outgoing Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern last week.
Chinese tourists are returning to Thailand in droves for their first trips abroad since the coronavirus pandemic began. The Thai government is expecting at least five million Chinese tourist arrivals this year, with some 300,000 coming in the first quarter.
Tensions continue to simmer at a Chinese-owned nickel smelting facility in Indonesia after a deadly riot erupted on January 14. Analysts say the violence sheds light on the business practices of a Chinese company. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee has the details.
On January 14, a clash between Indonesian and Chinese workers — a violent conflict that not only resulted in the deaths of an Indonesian and a Chinese worker but also reflected the conflict between cultures and business practices.
Li Qiang with China Labor Watch organization has been corresponding with more than 200 workers at this Chinese-owned nickel smelting facility in Indonesia.
“The Chinese company that’s investing in Indonesia is there to make money. The company did not bring good corporate practices to Indonesia.”
Through its Belt and Road Initiative, China has been investing in construction projects and factories around the world, including this facility in Morowali, Indonesia. Production has started up again since the deadly riot, but reminders of the violence remain.
Before the riot broke out, Indonesian workers had met with company officials, demanding that working conditions change, wages increase and union workers who had gone on strike be rehired. When the company failed to meet all the union’s demands, Indonesian workers staged a protest.
“We saw these issues accumulate, combined with lack of communication, [and it] finally blew up.”
The Chinese model of running a business in a foreign country is also replicated beyond Indonesia.
“For some of these Chinese plants, they feel that when they use the local workers — they have not just probably in Southeast Asia but also Africa as well, — as the local workers, may not want to work such a long time for the pay they’re given.”
Chinese workers are also brought in to work. It’s a model that also exploits Chinese workers, says Li.
“The treatment of the Chinese workers is harsher than that of the Indonesians because if the Chinese workers don’t follow orders, the company has places to detain the workers. The company can lock them up without going through the police.”
The Chinese-owned nickel smelting facility has not responded to VOA’s email asking about these allegations. It told VOA Indonesia in a text message that Indonesian military and police were still investigating the incident.
Elizabeth Lee, VOA News.
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Finally, In the U.S. capital city of Washington, DC, festivities marked the first Lunar New Year celebrations without crowd limits due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thousands lined the streets of DC’s Chinatown for a parade, while in nearby Maryland, the Washington DC Taiwanese School also celebrated its 40th year.
“We learned about how the turtle symbolized long life which I think that’s fascinating. That makes me feel like I will live a long life.”
The school offers weekly language and culture immersion classes to about 150 students.
Thanks for watching VOA Asia Weekly. I’m Chris Casquejo. Until next week.
