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South China Morning Post

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Thai ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra granted royal pardon to mark queen’s birthday

Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has met the conditions for a royal pardon as part of clemency measure marking the queen’s birthday, the justice minister said on Wednesday. Thaksin, 76, served eight months of a one-year sentence for corruption and abuse of power before he was released on parole last month due to his age. The Department of Corrections said the ex-leader was required to wear an electronic monitoring device as a condition of his release. Justice Minister...

RTHK News (Hong Kong)

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Child neglect case 'mind-boggling': lawmaker

A lawmaker on Wednesday called a controversial child neglect case "mind-boggling", saying he couldn't understand how the parents would leave their newborn without a birth certificate or any medical records. The parents were arrested on Tuesday after the case went viral online as they refused DNA testing to prove their relationship with the baby following a home birth. Speaking on an RTHK programme, Peter Koon, who chairs Legco's social welfare panel, says the baby's safety is what matters most – and a court could issue a protection order if the parents are found unfit to care for him. "Following the issuance of a child protection order, the baby could be sent to a facility that specialises in caring for newborns," he said. "As for who becomes the guardian, that really depends on the court's order. But theoretically, temporary guardianship could be granted to the Director of Social Welfare." Speaking on the same programme, Patrick Ip, a paediatrics professor at the University of Hong Kong, said he's worried about the baby's health. "This case makes me uneasy. The parents had two other children — neither went smoothly. One of them died young. Was there a problem with the way they cared for them?" he questioned. "For this newborn without a birth certificate, there's no way to get proper vaccinations or health monitoring. This is very far from ideal." The Social Welfare Department said it is seeking a protection order for the infant from the court, adding it will come up with a plan that puts the baby's health and interests first. Edited by Tony Sabine

RTHK News (Hong Kong)

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Civil service reviews 'to start with some grades'

An enhanced appraisal system for civil servants will only cover some grades in the first stage, Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung said on Saturday. The revised system will be implemented starting October 1, under which about five to 10 percent of those deemed to have underperformed would not be granted a salary increment. Yeung told a television programme that a review would be conducted after two years to see if any adjustments needed to be made to the system as well as decide on the number of civil service grades to be included in the second stage of the system's implementation. The government, she added, is ultimately aiming to have all civil servants appraised under the system. "Our first phase does not cover all grades, but all departments have to participate," Yeung said. "Every department, based on their size, has to nominate one or two grades to participate. "These two grades must be from the core of the department, meaning that they carry out its core duties." Yeung was asked whether the move would affect cooperation within the civil service and morale as staff attempt to be the top performers. “In terms of morale, I think if an appraisal is too lenient, then it will affect the morale of those workers who really performed well," she said. "They may strive to perform well but if they get ratings that are equal to those colleagues who have a significant gap with them, this quite affects morale." Implementation of the enhanced appraisal system comes amid the recent release of pay trend survey findings – which the government references in deciding the pay rises for more than 170,000 civil servants in the city – that point the way to possible salary increments of 4.12 percent for seniors, 2.64 percent for middle-ranking staff and 1.17 percent for juniors. While the Executive Council has yet to make the final decision, as the result is only one of the factors that it has to consider, Yeung stressed that the government has to provide attractive salary levels in order to be able to compete with the private sector for talents and retain their services. Edited by Thomas McAlinden

South China Morning Post

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How will South Korean nuclear submarines alter underwater balance near first island chain?

South Korea’s plans to build nuclear-powered submarines by the mid-2030s will spur a US-allied network of advanced underwater capabilities near the first island chain, strengthening deterrence against potential adversaries such as China and North Korea, analysts say. The South Korean defence ministry this week announced its basic plans to build the country’s first nuclear-powered submarine, giving its first detailed outline of the programme since US President Donald Trump granted initial...

RTHK News (Hong Kong)

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Pay rises of up to 4.12pc in frame for civil servants

A private pay trend survey that the government references in deciding civil service pay rises points the way to increases of up to 4.12 percent. The findings – drawn up from the pay trend survey of about 155,000 workers from 104 private companies – suggested pay rises of 4.12 percent for seniors, 2.64 percent for middle-ranking staff and 1.17 percent for juniors. In announcing the survey results on Thursday, Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung stressed that the figures are only one of the six major factors that would be taken into account when the Executive Council makes the final pay decision for more than 170,000 civil servants in the city. The other factors are the state of the economy, cost-of-living changes, staff pay claims, civil service morale and the government's fiscal position. “As in past years, after having the net pay trend indicators, we will do an analysis of the other five factors that the Executive Council has to take into account, and then we will present our analysis to the Executive Council to enable the council to make an informed and a balanced and most appropriate decision,” Yeung said. “As for social sentiment, I think public reaction, public acceptance of the proposed policy decision is a factor that the Executive Council will take into consideration in making every decision, not only this one. So this is a given.” Yeung went on to say that she will meet civil service representatives next week to gauge their views. She also announced that a revised appraisal system would be implemented starting October 1 to better evaluate the performance of civil servants. Yeung said around five to 10 percent of staff would be deemed underperformers and not be granted a salary increment. “We have considered similar practices in other jurisdictions as well as considered the actual situation in government departments in coming up [with] this decision and coming up to deciding on this percentage." The move will allow department heads to establish effective management teams, Yeung added. Edited by Edmond Fong

South China Morning Post

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Nearly 10,000 Hongkongers granted permanent UK residence under BN(O) scheme

Nearly 10,000 Hongkongers have been granted permanent residence in the UK under a bespoke British immigration pathway launched in January 2021, making them eligible to apply for citizenship next year. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the British National (Overseas) visa pathway, which allows successful applicants and their dependants to live, work and study in the United Kingdom for up to five years. “Since the scheme began, there have been a total of 9,804 grants of settlement to...

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Thai ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra granted royal pardon to mark queen’s birthday

Child neglect case 'mind-boggling': lawmaker

Civil service reviews 'to start with some grades'

How will South Korean nuclear submarines alter underwater balance near first island chain?

Pay rises of up to 4.12pc in frame for civil servants

Nearly 10,000 Hongkongers granted permanent UK residence under BN(O) scheme