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Seoul, Dec 14 (IANS) The South Korean foreign ministry sent diplomatic letters to all foreign missions in the country on Saturday, assuring that diplomacy will continue under the acting leadership of the Prime Minister following the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol.

The ministry “assured that it will continue to proceed with diplomatic schedules as planned, even under the acting president system,” it said in a message to reporters, hours after the National Assembly voted to impeach Yoon over the botched martial law order.

The ministry also said it instructed all South Korean overseas missions to maintain a “disciplined posture under the grave circumstances” and ensure that they carry out their duties with “exceptional determination,” while working to maintain friendly relations with the host countries, Yonhap news agency reported.

Earlier in the day, South Korea’s National Assembly voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched imposition of martial law, suspending him from his duties until the Constitutional Court decides whether to reinstate him or remove him from office, with citizens cheering over his impeachment.

The impeachment motion against Yoon passed 204-85, with three abstentions and eight invalid ballots, after all 300 members of the Assembly cast their votes.

The motion’s passage came 11 days after Yoon declared martial law in an announcement that caught the nation by surprise and drew outrage, as troops encircled the National Assembly compound in an apparent attempt to stop lawmakers from repealing the decree.

The martial law order, which was lifted within six hours after the Assembly voted it down, has prompted investigations by the police, the prosecution and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials into whether Yoon staged an insurrection. He is currently banned from leaving the country.

After the National Assembly passed a motion to impeach Yoon on Saturday, country’s Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has taken over as the acting president.

–IANS

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Washington, Dec 14 (IANS) The United States appreciates the resiliency of democracy and the rule of law in South Korea and its alliance with the Asian country remains “ironclad,” a White House official said Saturday after the National Assembly voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched martial law attempt.

South Korea’s legislature impeached Yoon, suspending him from his duties until the Constitutional Court decides whether to reinstate him or remove him from office. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has taken over as the acting president.

“We appreciate the resiliency of democracy and the rule of law in the ROK. Our Alliance remains ironclad, and the United States is committed to the peace and security of the Korean peninsula,” a National Security Council spokesperson said in a statement. ROK stands for South Korea’s official name, the Republic of Korea.

“The American people will continue standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the people of the Republic of Korea,” the official added, Yonhap news agency reported.

Earlier in the day, South Korea’s National Assembly voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched imposition of martial law, suspending him from his duties until the Constitutional Court decides whether to reinstate him or remove him from office, with citizens cheering over his impeachment.

The impeachment motion against Yoon passed 204-85, with three abstentions and eight invalid ballots, after all 300 members of the Assembly cast their votes.

The motion’s passage came 11 days after Yoon declared martial law in an announcement that caught the nation by surprise and drew outrage, as troops encircled the National Assembly compound in an apparent attempt to stop lawmakers from repealing the decree.

The martial law order, which was lifted within six hours after the Assembly voted it down, has prompted investigations by the police, the prosecution and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials into whether Yoon staged an insurrection. He is currently banned from leaving the country.

–IANS

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Tehran, Dec 14 (IANS) Iran’s atomic chief stated on Saturday that the announced increase in inspections by the United Nations nuclear watchdog of the country’s nuclear facilities is a natural development, driven by Tehran’s enhanced uranium enrichment capacity.

Mohammad Eslami, president of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI), made these remarks in response to a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released on Thursday. The report revealed that Iran had agreed to more stringent monitoring at its Fordow facility in the central province of Qom, following a boost in its uranium enrichment to up to 60 percent purity, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

Eslami said, “When we carry out nuclear activities and deal with nuclear materials, a change in the scale will naturally change the level of monitoring. This is obvious and natural. We have increased (uranium enrichment) capacity, and it is natural that the inspections should increase.”

He assured that Iran is acting in full compliance with the IAEA’s regulations and that no obstacles would be placed in the way of the agency’s monitoring efforts, Xinhua news agency reported.

On November 21, the IAEA Board of Governors passed a resolution urging Iran to improve cooperation with the agency and submit a “comprehensive” report, pressuring Tehran to resume nuclear talks. In response, Iran announced the activation of a “substantial” number of new “advanced” centrifuges.

Iran signed a nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with several major countries in 2015. The agreement imposed restrictions on Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.

However, the US government under then-President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement unilaterally in May 2018, reinstating sanctions and prompting Iran to scale back some of its nuclear commitments.

–IANS

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Colombo, Dec 14 (IANS) The Maldives will implement a nationwide ban on the use and sale of vaping devices starting at midnight on Saturday, according to the nation’s state-run Public Service Media (PSM).

The ban follows recent amendments to the Tobacco Control Act, signed into law by President Mohamed Muizzu on November 13.

The amendments stipulate that the sale, free distribution, and use of e-cigarettes and vaping devices will be illegal beginning December 15.

The PSM reported that importing vaping devices into the Maldives after this date will result in a fine of MVR 50,000 (about 3,250 US dollars), Xinhua news agency reported.

Several countries are making moves to tackle youth vaping via banning the manufacture and sale of disposable vaping products.

In October, Muizzu had announced a ban on the importation of vape products in the Maldives following a recommendation from the Maldives NCD Alliance, an alliance of seven Maldivians organisations and health experts.

“I have directed authorities to take all necessary measures to prohibit the importation of vaping devices and their components from November 15, 2024 and to prohibit the use, possession, manufacture, sale, advertising and free distribution of vaping devices in the country from December 15, 2024,” the President had said in a social media post.

The Maldives NCD Alliance said that tobacco and tobacco products contribute significantly to the increase in non-communicable diseases in the Maldives.

At the same time, the Maldivian government has also stepped up efforts to combat drug trafficking.

Earlier this week, Muizzu also revealed that six times more drugs have been seized so far in 2024 compared to 2023.

Addressing a meeting, the president said the drugs seized so far this year are estimated to have a street value of around 84 million US dollars.

Muizzu added that over 150 expatriates linked to drug trafficking have been deported so far this year, which is twice of 2023.

The president said police have raided over 13,435 establishments this year amid the nationwide crackdown on trafficking, adding that around 8,500 raids were conducted last year.

–IANS

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Bangkok, Dec 14 (IANS) Authorities in Thailand have arrested two suspects in connection with a bomb explosion at an annual festival in northern Tak province that killed three people and injured 48 others, police said on Saturday.

National Police Spokesman Archayont Kraithong said an initial investigation revealed that one of the suspects confessed to carrying the explosive device, adding that the motivation stemmed from both suspects’ grievances against a local youth group.

In a social media post, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra expressed her deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and the injured in the explosion that occurred shortly before midnight on Friday.

Paetongtarn ordered the police and security agencies to swiftly investigate the incident, apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice, as well as instruct authorities to enhance security measures at all upcoming festivals to ensure public safety, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier this year, two school children were among eight people injured by shrapnel from a roadside bomb near a park in Thailand’s restive southern province of Songkhla.

Among the injured were a district assistant chief, a defence volunteer and villagers.

The Thai Army’s Region 4 Forward Command said in February that it believed that southern insurgents detonated the device when a converted pickup truck passed the spot. The explosion blew the vehicle off the road.

The explosion came after a clash between the Thai Army and a group of insurgents. Five suspected southern insurgents were shot dead by security forces on a mountain in Narathiwat Province.

After the clash, Col. Pramote Prom-in, spokesman of the army’s southern command, warned of possible imminent retaliation from insurgent groups.

The separatist insurgency in Thailand’s largely ethnic Malay-Muslim provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat has killed nearly 7,000 people since 2004.

The Thai government is in negotiation with several insurgent groups for peace talks.

–IANS

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Athens, Dec 14 (IANS) A man lost his life after a migrant boat sank off the coast of Crete in southern Greece Friday night, Greek authorities reported on Saturday.

According to a press release from the Hellenic Coast Guard, 33 people were rescued, while a rescue operation remained underway as the exact number of individuals on board at the time of the incident was still unknown.

The nationalities of the migrants and the boat’s route had yet to be determined.

In three separate incidents between Friday evening and Saturday morning, a total of 163 people were rescued in waters off Crete and the Peloponnese peninsula, also in southern Greece, the Hellenic Coast Guard said.

Since 2015, Greece has been a key entry point for irregular migrants and refugees entering the European Union, with over one million arrivals recorded during this period. Tragically, hundreds have lost their lives at sea attempting these perilous journeys.

In October too, several people had died and also rescued after boats carrying migrants sank off the Greek island of Crete and off the island of Kos.

According to the Hellenic Coast Guard, over the past nine years, more than one million people have reached Greece’s shores, while hundreds have perished at sea.

The data from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex showed that the influx to the Eastern Mediterranean front continued to rise this year, increasing by 15 per cent in the first nine months of 2024 compared to the same period last year.

Approximately 45,600 arrivals were recorded in Greek waters from January until October this year. In September this was the busiest route, with the highest number of 6,750 arrivals, compared to 5,600 in the Central Mediterranean.

The overwhelming majority of new arrivals in Greece in 2024 were Syrians, Afghans and Egyptians.

–IANS

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