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Tuesday, 29 September 2020

Malaysian duo among 15 new Covid-19-positive cases in Singapore

A view of a largely empty Changi Airport Terminal 2 a day before its 18-month closure due to the impact of the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Singapore April 30, 2020. —Reuters pic
A view of a largely empty Changi Airport Terminal 2 a day before its 18-month closure due to the impact of the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Singapore April 30, 2020. —Reuters pic

SINGAPORE, Sept 29 — One of two new Covid-19 cases in the community had gone to work at Changi Airport after the onset of his symptoms.

The 26-year-old work permit holder from Malaysia was tested as part of proactive screening of workers in essential services who are living outside the dormitories, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Monday (Sept 28).

He has no known sources of infection and investigations are ongoing to find the links.

Another work permit holder from Malaysia, also 26, who is a household contact of the first man, also tested positive.

“When contacted by MOH on Sept 27 after (the first case) was confirmed with Covid-19 infection, (the second case) reported having symptoms and was immediately (taken) to a hospital for a swab,” the ministry said.

“In the meantime, all the identified close contacts of the case have been isolated and placed on quarantine, and will be tested at the start and end of their quarantine period so that we can detect asymptomatic cases.”

The two men were among the 15 new cases of Covid-19 announced by MOH on Monday. Six others were imported cases and the remaining seven were linked to migrant workers staying in dormitories.

A majority of the fresh cases have no symptoms.

The six imported cases are one permanent resident, two work pass holders, one work permit holder and two dependant’s pass holders.

The two dependant’s pass holders are children aged one and three, MOH said.

The six imported cases had arrived in Singapore from India, France, and the Philippines on Sept 15 and 16.

They were placed on 14-day stay-home notices and tested positive while serving their notices at dedicated facilities.

Overall, the number of new cases in the community has remained stable at an average of fewer than one case a day in the past 14 days.

The number of cases in the community with no known sources of infection has also remained stable at an average of fewer than one a day in the past two weeks.

Of the seven new cases involving migrant workers in dormitories, four had been identified earlier as contacts of previous cases.

The remaining three were detected through surveillance testing, such as Rostered Routine Testing under MOH and the testing of those with acute respiratory infection symptoms.

Based on MOH's monitoring of existing clusters at dormitories for any further transmission of the coronavirus, the ministry said that there have been no more cases linked to Changi Lodge II at 80 Tanah Merah Coast Road, as well as the dormitories at 35 Kian Teck Way and 66 Tech Park Crescent for the past two incubation periods.

The clusters are now closed.

Updates on remaining cases

The total number of infections in Singapore now stands at 57,715.

Of these, 57,393 people have fully recovered and have been discharged from hospitals or community care facilities, including 26 on Monday.

There are still 36 patients in hospitals and most are in stable condition or improving. No one is in intensive care.

Another 259 patients are isolated and being cared for at community facilities. They have mild symptoms or are clinically well but still tested positive for Covid-19.

Twenty-seven people have died from complications due to Covid-19. — TODAY


 



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With Anwar circling, analysts see Perikatan winning Sabah CM’s post as vital boost for Muhyiddin

Huawei exec argues US misled Canada to secure her arrest

Meng Wanzhou leaves the British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver yesterday. (AP pic)

VANCOUVER: Chinese Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou and her lawyers returned to a Canadian court on Monday to press for her release, arguing that the US, by omitting key facts, blatantly misled Canada about her alleged crimes to secure her arrest.

The defence started the five-day hearing by saying that the crux of the US charges against Meng – that she hid Huawei’s relationship with former subsidiary Skycom in Iran from HSBC bank – is false and lacks context.

Meng’s lawyer Scott Fenton accused the US of having “breached its duty to be forthright and candid”.

“The misstatements (and) omissions in the record of the case,” he told the British Columbia Supreme Court, “go to the very heart of the fraud case”.

As such, he said, the extradition proceedings should be halted.

The Chinese telecom giant’s chief financial officer was arrested on a US warrant in December 2018 during a stopover in Vancouver.

She is charged with bank fraud linked to violations of US sanctions against Iran, and has been fighting extradition ever since.

The case has added to severe strain in Sino-US ties and created an unprecedented rift between Canada and China.

Nine days after Meng’s arrest, China detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor in what is widely viewed as retaliation over Meng.

Espionage charges were filed against the pair in June, soon after Meng’s first legal setback, when her bid to have the case thrown out – arguing that the US accusations were not crimes in Canada – was defeated.

The past nearly two years of sporadic court appearances have also seen Meng’s attorneys trade barbs with Canadian government lawyers over access to classified documents and purported violations of her rights.

The Skycom connection

Despite the Covid-19 outbreak’s disruptions of trials in Canada, Meng’s case has proceeded by teleconference – though at a slow pace.

She appeared in person on Monday for the first time in months, wearing a face mask, in accordance with public health rules, and an electronic monitoring anklet as a condition of her bail.

US indictments allege that Meng and the world’s largest telecoms equipment manufacturer conducted business in Iran in violation of US sanctions through Skycom.

The US Justice Department says the Hong Kong-registered firm was a poorly disguised Huawei front company.

They note that Skycom employees had Huawei email addresses and badges, and that Skycom’s leadership were Huawei employees – including Meng, who has admitted to serving previously on its board.

Huawei also at one point owned a stake in Skycom but sold its shares to another company that the US says also was controlled by Huawei.

The US alleges Meng fraudulently concealed all this from HSBC, putting the bank at risk of unknowingly violating Iran sanctions.

It pointed to a presentation Meng made in 2013 to an HSBC executive after the British banking group, worried over potential Iran exposure, requested an explanation.

But Meng insists she was up-front with HSBC and its executive at the Hong Kong tea house meeting.

“The purpose of the meeting was sanctions compliance, whether Huawei and Skycom were doing business in Iran, and Meng was candid,” said defence lawyer Frank Addario.

Fenton added, “The vast majority of what (Meng) stated to HSBC is not included in the (case) summary”, including “key statements” that could prove to be exculpatory.

Meng, he said, “put HSBC on full notice that both Huawei and Skycom were doing business in Iran”.

“She told them everything they needed to know to measure sanctions risk,” he added, including how processing any related transactions through the US banking system could put HSBC in jeopardy.

Huawei has rejected as “unfounded” these and additional charges filed in February, accusing the company of stealing technologies from US firms.

Meng remains under house arrest in Vancouver while the extradition case, which is due to wrap up in March or April 2021, is heard.



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Sabah election results won’t affect Sarawak, say leaders

Sarawak MPs Fadillah Yusof and Ali Biju say it is crucial to deliver good service.

KUCHING: Two Sarawak leaders have rejected a DAP contention that the Sabah election results gave hope for opposition gains in Sarawak.

Fadillah Yusof of PBB, who is a senior federal minister, said the sentiments in the two states were not the same and the Sabah outcome may not be reflected in the coming Sarawak state elections.

However, another Sarawakian member of the federal cabinet, Ali Biju, said the Sabah results showed a desire for development, which was a sentiment shared by both states. He said the results also showed acceptance of Perikatan Nasional leader Muhyiddin Yassin among the people.

The two leaders’ views are in contrast to the views of Tanjong Batu assemblyman Chiew Chiu Sing of DAP, who said the performance of Warisan Plus securing 32 of 73 seats,indicated that nearly half of Sabahans were unhappy with the federal government.

Chiew said in a media interview on Sunday that similar unhappiness would be shown when Sarawakians go to the polls.

However Fadillah said Chiew’s remarks were an attempt by DAP to merely play with perception.

“The perceptions and sentiments of the people of Sabah and Sarawak are different, as well as in the Peninsula,” said Fadillah, who is MP for Petra Jaya. He said it was crucial for Gabungan Parti Sarawak to provide the best service to people and thus retain the people’s support.

Ali Biju, who is MP for Saratok and deputy minister for energy and resources, said the state government must deliver without compromise.

A political analyst also believes that the Sabah result will not have much impact on the Sarawak elections.

“GPS is still popular in Sarawak and it is expected the ruling coalition can continue to win at least a two-third majority,” said Awang Azman Pawi of Universiti Malaya.



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Trump’s 2016 team accused of deterring US blacks from voting

LONDON: Donald Trump’s digital campaign team tried to dissuade millions of African Americans from voting in the 2016 US presidential election, Britain’s Channel 4 News channel alleged in a report broadcast on Monday.

The channel’s investigative journalists said they had got hold of a file used by Trump’s team four years ago that contains close to 200 million US voters who were put into different categories in order to send them targeted ads on social media.

Among those, more than 3.5 million black Americans were allegedly put into a category dubbed “deterrence” that aimed to push them to abstain from voting.

Channel 4 journalists said African Americans, who are by and large loyal to the Democratic party, were targeted by this strategy more than other communities.

In the state of Georgia, for instance, black people made up 61% of members of the “dissuasion” category when they only represent 32% of the population, according to the investigation.

“It was a strategy that preceded a collapse in the black vote in key states like Wisconsin,” the report said.

Trump went on to win the election.

His 2016 digital campaign had included a team from British firm Cambridge Analytica, accused of having collected and used personal data of Facebook users without their consent for political purposes.

Brad Parscale, the campaign’s 2016 digital director, insisted that his team did not target black voters.

“I would say I’m nearly 100% sure we did not run any campaigns that targeted even African Americans,” he told PBS Frontline.

But Channel 4 News investigators said they saw a confidential document in which Cambridge Analytica recognised having targeted black Americans.

The report also said that negative publicity was used to discourage people from voting for Hillary Clinton, Trump’s rival in the 2016 election, where the Democrat candidate described young blacks as “superpredators” in videos viewed by millions of people on Facebook.

“The thing that’s shocking, slash troubling, about this is that there’s this category of suppression,” said Jamal Watkins, vice-president of civic engagement at US civil rights organisation the NAACP, quoted by the television channel.

“We use data – similar to voter file data – but it’s to motivate, persuade and encourage folks to participate. We don’t use the data to say who can we deter and keep at home,” he said.

“It’s a shift from the notion of democracy.”



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Remaja 16 tahun bercita-cita jadi bintang terkenal

Walaupun masih remaja, Charmaine Koh sudah pun berada di landasan yang betul untuk merealisasikan impiannya.

KUALA LUMPUR: Di usia 16 tahun, Charmaine Koh sudah tahu apa yang dia inginkan. Dia ingin menjadi bintang terkenal.

Membesar dengan menonton saluran Disney, Mitchie Torres, Shane Gray dan Tess Tyler (Camp Rock), Koh berkata, saluran inilah yang membuatkan dia mula jatuh cinta dengan muzik.

“Camp Rock benar-benar memberi inspirasi kepada saya. Saya ingin menyanyi seperti mereka, bergerak bebas dalam gaya gembira dan menyeronokkan,” ujar Koh.

Perjalanan seni Koh bermula apabila pada usia 11 tahun dan pada 2016, dia menjadi rakyat Malaysia yang termuda meraih tiga pingat emas di World Championship of Performing Arts (WCOPA) di California.

Cinta Koh terhadap muzik bermula semasa menonton filem-filem muzikal Disney.

Kemudian karier seninya bermula apabila dia mengeluarkan ‘track’ terbarunya berjudul Why Don’t You Live? Suaranya yang merdu telah menyerlahkan sentuhan nostalgia yang menyegarkan pada lagu tersebut.

Selain menyanyi, Koh juga boleh menulis lirik. Emosi, kasih sayang, kemarahan yang ada di dalam dirinya akan diterjemah di dalam lirik tersebut.

“Kadang-kadang, melodi akan datang dahulu kemudian barulah liriknya. Selalunya saya akan mendapatkan nasihat dari penerbit saya untuk melihat samada lirik tersebut dapat digilap menjadi lebih baik lagi,” jelas Koh yang berasa amat beruntung kerana lagunya dapat diterima oleh pendengar.

Menyanyi adalah salah satu cara Koh mengekspresikan dirinya.

“Peluang dapat menterjemahkan perasaan dan emosi saya ke dalam lagu yang boleh diterima oleh masyarakat adalah satu kejayaan buat saya.

“Selalunya saya bertanya apa yang orang ramai rasa terhadap lagu saya. Jika mereka dapat merasakan apa yang saya rasa, bermakna saya melakukan perkara yang betul,” jelas Koh lagi.

Bagi Koh, menghiburkan orang lain adalah satu pengalaman yang menakjubkan terutama apabila nyanyiannya dapat dihayati oleh pendengar.

“Dapat mencipta sesuatu yang disukai ramai adalah satu perasaan yang sukar diungkap, ia adalah sangat luar biasa,” jelasnya lagi.

Gadis kelahiran Kuala Lumpur ini masih lagi bersekolah. “Memang sukar untuk melakukan dua perkara dalam satu masa, sekolah dan muzik. Terutama sekali sekarang saya berada di tahun akhir sekolah menengah dan akan menduduki peperiksaan besar tidak lama lagi.

Dapat berhubung dengan pendengar melalui muzik adalah satu pengalaman yang sungguh menakjubkan bagi Koh.

“Ada masanya saya akan membuat kerja sekolah dan makan tengah hari di dalam kereta jadi saya dapat membuat latihan tepat pada waktunya. Saya juga tidak dapat selalu keluar dengan teman-teman. Inilah antara yang perlu saya korbankan,” katanya kepada FMT.

Menurut Koh, ibubapanya memberikan sokongan yang penuh kepadanya dan dia amat berterima kasih kepada mereka kerana memberi ruang kepadanya untuk mengejar impian.

“Saya rasa saya sudah sebutkan dahulu jadi ia bukan lagi rahsia, mereka adalah kekuatan saya. Sebenarnya, mereka adalah tulang belakang kejayaan saya,” jelas Koh.

Dengan kebanjiran ratusan remaja yang menceburi industri seni dewasa ini, ia mungkin menjadi cabaran buatnya untuk menjadi sebutir bintang yang menyinar di antara yang lain.

“Saya mahu menyerlah dengan cara yang sihat. Saya mahu masyarakat menerima lagu saya dengan cara yang sepatutnya. Biar mereka menilai sendiri dan saya tidak perlu tergesa-gesa.

“Malah, banyak lagi yang perlu saya lakukan selain menyanyi seperti proses penghasilan, promosi dan pemasaran. Untuk menghasilkan lagu banyak proses yang harus dilalui,” kata Koh.

Koh berterima kasih kepada kedua ibubapanya atas sokongan yang tidak berbelah bagi.

Penyanyi yang berbakat dan bercita-cita tinggi ini berkata, “Dalam masa lima tahun akan datang, saya melihat diri saya menyanyi dan menari di atas pentas yang luas. Berkongsi keinginan dan menceritakan kisah saya kepada semua peminat di luar sana. Itulah yang saya inginkan!”

Koh juga menasihatkan remaja yang tidak pasti akan impian mereka.

“Kejar impian anda. Tidak kira ianya menyanyi, menari atau berlakon. Tiada siapa yang akan melihat anda sekiranya bukan anda sendiri yang menyerlahkannya dahulu. Berbanggalah denga apa yang anda lakukan. Ambil langkah pertama untuk percaya terhadap apa yang anda boleh lakukan dan dapat memberi impak kepada dunia. Ingat, segalanya bermula dari anda sendiri.” akhiri Koh.

Anda ada berita menarik untuk dikongsi? Sila email ke fmtohsem@freemalaysiatoday.com



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Kok Siong offers the full-on Nasi Kandar experience

Mixing-up the different curries is the way to go if you want to enjoy Nasi Kandar the correct way. (KY Speaks pic)

Nasi Kandar is perhaps taking a back seat when it comes to national identity. Everyone associates Nasi Lemak with Malaysia and Bak Kut Teh with Klang.

However, not many may not know that Nasi Kandar originated in Penang, with Tamil-Muslim vendors on foot balancing a pole, “kandar”, on their shoulders carrying baskets with rice and various other dishes such as mutton curry, fried chicken and so on to sell on the street.

It is one of many must-have dishes when one visits Penang. Throughout the Klang Valley, there are the ubiquitous Kayu and Pelita, chains offering decent enough Nasi Kandar, but common complaints are the steep prices and a certain lack of confidence about hygiene standards.

Those looking for something outside these chains should try Kok Siong Nasi Kandar next to the Tesco Hypermarket in Puchong.

This is perhaps one of the only Nasi Kandar places run by Chinese instead of Tamil-Muslim vendors. The dishes are very similar and pork free.

Squid with extra petai and Nasi Kandar with fried chicken – both are simply delicious. (KY Speaks pic)

The choice of rice with squid and petai and another plate of rice with a quarter fried chicken doused with plenty of curry, made for a good start to sampling the menu.

Each plate comes with papadam and plenty of crisp bits on top that are really tasty.

The squid is cooked in the typical Indian-Muslim style – slightly on the harder, more cooked side but it does taste proper.

The chicken was well cooked with a crisp skin and juicy meat within. But the star of the show was the petai with ikan bilis, absolutely pungent and super delightful.

Kok Siong Nasi Kandar, Puchong. (KY Speaks pic)

Fans of Nasi Kandar will find this place quite satisfying. As the kitchen is pretty much open, cleanliness is not a concern here.

Price-wise it is neither cheap nor expensive. A standard plate of Nasi Kandar with fried chicken is around RM8, a bigger piece of chicken would be priced higher, so for those on a budget, do ask.

Restoran Kok Siong Nasi Kandar
45, Jalan Bandar 16
Pusat Bandar Puchong
47100 Puchong
Selangor

Business hours: Lunch only

Read the original article here.

Trying to influence your cravings since 2005, Kar Yeong was Guest Judge on Versus 1001 Rasa Baba’s 2018, R.AGE Food Fight Judge 2015 and NTV7 Foodie Blogger 2014. To read more about Kar Yeong’s food journeys, visit his blog at KYspeaks.com.



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Any move to restore mandate will be in line with fight for justice, says PH

PH leaders (from left) Saifuddin Nasution, Hatta Ramli and Loke Siew Fook say they also discussed the Sabah election results last night.

PETALING JAYA: Pakatan Harapan (PH) says any move to restore the people’s mandate in the 2018 general election will be in line with the coalition’s fight to uphold justice.

PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution, Amanah secretary-general Hatta Ramli and DAP organising secretary Loke Siew Fook said there will be no compromise with PH’s commitment to fight against corruption and to reform institutions such as the judiciary.

“The PH presidential council held its monthly meeting last night, discussing several matters including the Sabah election as well as efforts at the federal level to restore the people’s mandate.

“PH stresses that with any step taken to restore the people’s mandate, there can be no compromise with our fight to uphold justice, eradicate corruption and improve institutions,” they said in a joint statement today.

They also wished the Yang di-Pertuan Agong a swift recovery as the King undergoes treatment for food poisoning at the National Heart Institute (IJN).

The PH meeting came a week after coalition chairman Anwar Ibrahim announced that he had obtained enough support from MPs to form a new government. He said the King had consented to grant him an audience, which had to be postponed after the King was admitted to IJN.

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had said several Umno MPs had decided to back Anwar, adding that he could not stand in the way of them choosing to support him.

However, in a speech in Sabah, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said his party will not work with Umno as long as it remains under the leadership of Zahid or former prime minister Najib Razak.



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Jalur lebar perlahan, ‘memalukan’ sukarkan pertumbuhan, kata kumpulan perniagaan

Shaun Edward Cheah dari Dewan Perniagaan dan Industri Antarabangsa Malaysia (MICC) berkata ketaksamaan kelajuan internet antara Malaysia dan negara lain seperti Thailand dan Singapura ‘memalukan’.

PETALING JAYA: Keupayaan internet yang ketinggalan di Malaysia, yang disifatkan sebagai “memalukan”, akan membantutkan perniagaan kerana operasi perniagaan mula beralih ke dalam talian lalu mengekang daya saing negara di rantau ini, menurut sebuah kumpulan perniagaan.

Walaupun Malaysia melaporkan KDNK ke-3 terbesar di Asia Tenggara, baik secara jumlah mahupun per kapita, Indeks Speedtest Global melaporkan kelajuan data mudah alihnya di peringkat serantau ke-6 terlaju dan ke-83 di dunia.

Walaupun kelajuan jalur lebar Malaysia di Asia Tenggara berada di kedudukan yang lebik baik, iaitu ke-3 terlaju, ia sedikit mengelirukan kerana kelajuan WiFi kediaman di Thailand dan Singapura seganda kelajuan purata di Malaysia dan antara yang terpantas di dunia.

Shaun Edward Cheah, pengarah eksekutif Dewan Perniagaan dan Industri Antarabangsa Malaysia (MICC), berkata ketaksamaan ini “memalukan”, mengatakan ia kerana syarikat telekomunikasi kurang melabur.

Beliau berkata isunya kerana tidak “port” tidak mencukupi, menyebabkan kelewatan maklumat, kerana terlalu banyak orang menggunakan sistem pada satu-satu masa.

“Bayangkan plaza tol yang sesak. Sebuah plaza tol yang ada 5 pondok boleh tangani lalu lintas di luar waktu puncak, tetapi akan berlaku kekesakan di waktu puncak.

“Jawapannya ialah kena pasang lebih banyak pondol tol.”

Sementara itu, Richard Record, ketua ahli ekonomi di World Bank Group, berkata kekurangan akses kepada internet berkualiti tinggi di Malaysia membazirkan potensi “kerana bukan senang untuk menulis ‘resume’ di telefon dan tidak mudah untuk bergantung pada sambungan mudah alih untuk berniaga.”

Kelajuan mudah alih yang perlahan memburukkan masalah itu, katanya, dan menamabh ini merupakan trend yang membimbangkan kerana negara mempunyai aspirasi masa depan digital berdasarkan e-dagang, automasi, dan kecerdasan buatan (AI).

Jelasnya, ketersambungan yang boleh diharapkan menjadi semakin penting untuk perniagaan kerana koordinasi, pengurusan manusia, transaksi, dan analisis semakin automatik.

“Ketika internet mendorong kesejagatan dan pendigital, kekangan seperti itu boleh memberi kesan pada daya saing sesebuah syarikat dan negara.”

Serorang felo dari Persatuan Antarabangsa Bagi Menangani Keganasan dan Keselamatan Profesional (IACSP), SL Rajesh, berkata bergantung harap pada ketersambungan yang lemah menyebabkan prasarana sesebuah syarikat tidak kukuh.

“Dalam proses automasi perisian, anda perlukan perkhidmatan internet yang kuat untuk membolehkan AI berfungsi,” katanya. “Sekiranya internet lambat, semua proses syarikat itu juga akan lambat.”

Mereka bersetuju prasarana fiber sedia ada perlu diperbaiki dengan mengoptimumkan sistem semasa bagi meningkatkan kelajuan dan konsistensi di kawasan bandar, dan memperluas jangkauan kabel di kawasan luar bandar.

Cheah berkata teknologi 5G mungkin akan menyebabkan WiFi kediaman kurang menarik kerana kelajuannya yang lebih cepat berbanding jalur lebar, serta menjadi alternatif yang menarik sekiranya kabel tidak dapat dikembangkan atau “port” tidak dapat dipasang.

Katanya, membina menara selular berkemampuan 5G juga kurang menjejaskan alam berbanding memasang kabel dan lebih mudah dari segi mendapatkan kelulusan kawal selia kerana ia projek yang agak kecil.



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Duterte tells Facebook to disclose ‘purpose’ in Philippines

Platforms like Facebook have become political battlegrounds and have helped strengthen Duterte’s support base. (AP pic)

MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday that Facebook could not stop him from promoting the objectives of his government, telling the social media giant that they should talk about its purpose in his country.

“Facebook, listen to me,” Duterte said in a late-night televised address.

“We allow you to operate here hoping that you could help us. Now, if government cannot espouse or advocate something which is for the good of the people, then what is your purpose here in my country?”

His remarks follow Facebook’s move on Sept 22 to dismantle a network of fake accounts that originated in China and the Philippines, including some that criticised the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA).

Facebook linked some of the fake accounts in the Philippines to the military and the police, although they denied being the account holders.

But the military later said it regretted the decision of Facebook to remove a page that belonged to a group of parents that raised awareness about the recruitment machinery of the communists.

The conflict between the government and the NPA has raged since 1968 and has killed tens of thousands.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines had inquired if Facebook could restore the page called “Hands off Our Children”, its spokesman said last week, because its advocacy was something the military “shares and advances”.

“What would be the point of allowing you to continue if you can’t help us? We are not advocating mass destruction, we are not advocating massacre. It’s a fight of ideas,” Duterte said.

“If you are promoting the cause of the rebellion … if you cannot reconcile the idea of what your purpose is or was, then we have to talk.”

Facebook said the fake accounts were dismantled because they had engaged in “coordinated inauthentic behaviour”.

Platforms like Facebook have become political battlegrounds and have helped strengthen Duterte’s support base, having been instrumental in his election victory in 2016.

“Is there life after Facebook? I don’t know,” Duterte said.



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