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Corruption charges dropped as Gotabaya Rajapaksa has immunity as new Sri Lanka President.   “Corruption charges against Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa were dropped on Thursday (Nov 21) by a court, which handed his passport back as he acquired immunity from prosecution after being elected last weekend. The Straits Times: https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/south-asia/corruption-charges-dropped-against-immune-new-sri-lanka-president-gotabaya-rajapaksa   Sacked allegedly for graft, Bera PKR chief claims booted out without due process.  “Zakaria Abdul Hamid, who was expelled from the PKR party for alleged corruption claims, has claimed he was not given the chance to explain himself…[although the] disciplinary board chairman Datuk Ahmad Kassim said the decision…is with immediate effect after the party received a letter from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission dated October 23 on the allegations which are said to have happe...

Aggressive Criminal Law Enforcement Is Insufficient to Combat Systemic Corruption. But That Doesn’t Mean It’s Not Necessary (Blog).  “After all, while there are plenty of punishment-focused anticorruption crackdowns that failed to produce systemic change, I can’t think of any successful efforts to get rampant corruption under control that didn’t involve a hefty dose of aggressive enforcement of the laws against corruption, including prosecution and punishment.” Matthew Stephenson/The Global Anticorruption Blog: https://globalanticorruptionblog.com/2019/11/19/aggressive-criminal-law-enforcement-is-insufficient-to-combat-systemic-corruption-but-that-doesnt-mean-its-not-necessary/   New Podcast Episode, Featuring David Barboza (Blog/Podcast).  “Mr. Barboza [a Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times correspondent] discusses the current anticorruption drive headed by President Xi Jinping, and whether this crackdown represe...

Beyond Hong Kong: China censors freedom of expression in the Pacific.  The military threat of the Chinese Communist Party’s People’s Liberation Army Navy in the South China Sea is well-known. Less obvious is the subversion of Pacific island Countries by exploiting corruption in their local governments https://noqreport.com/2019/11/18/beyond-hong-kong-china-censors-freedom-expression-pacific/   PNG: Paraka seeks to stop indictment presentation.  A motion seeking to stop the Public Prosecutor from performing his function, in presenting an ex-officio indictment in court to proceed a criminal trial against the principal of Paraka lawyers, will be heard in the National court next month. http://www.looppng.com/png-news/paraka-seeks-stop-indictment-presentation-88413   MARSHALL ISLANDS: Exclusion of postal votes protects integrity - Marshalls' President.  The Marshall Islands President says a court decision ruling out postal vot...

Anti-graft chief sets 2020 target.  “[Thailand’s] National Anti-Counter Corruption Commission (NACC) has pledged to wrap up at least 15 corruption cases by the end of next year…several of these cases are highly controversial such as the 2013 floodwater management affair, government-to-government rice-pledging deals, temple fund embezzlement, the Rolls-Royce bribery scandal, and the Uea Arthorn Housing project.” Bangkok Post: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/politics/1797009/anti-graft-chief-sets-2020-target   ‘Clusters of Progress’ in Anti-Corruption Reforms (Blog).  “Three years have passed since more than 40 countries gathered at the Anti-Corruption Summit in London and made specific pledges for tackling corruption…only 31 per cent of commitments are deemed ‘complete’.” Rose Whiffen/Transparency International: https://voices.transparency.org/clusters-of-progress-in-anti-corruption-ref...

Malaysia’s Corruption Watchdog Faces Questions Over Effectiveness (Opinion).  “…how much bite the MACC has totally depends upon the attorney general who is part of the executive government. Should there be any future realignment of political parties in the parliament, the MACC as a political tool is there.” Murray Hunter/Asia Sentinel: https://www.asiasentinel.com/blog/malaysia-corruption-watchdog-effectiveness/   The ‘real Jokowi’ is no corruption-buster (Editorial).  “Most international observers see the relationship between controlling corruption and boosting Indonesia’s economic performance as axiomatic…Things look different to many of the Indonesian elites [who] frame the aggressive pursuit of corrupt officials as politically disruptive.” East Asia Forum: https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2019/11/18/the-real-jokowi-is-no-corruption-buster/   TVET Modular Curriculum Validation....

Business associations lead way to promote business integrity in Vietnam.  In Vietnam, 11 Business Associations have officially signed the Business Integrity Pledge to uphold the core values of integrity, ethical behavior, and accountability. It is one of the key activities of the Government and Business Integrity Initiative (GBII) implemented by VCCI under the UNDP’s Regional Project “Promoting A Fair Business Environment in ASEAN”. Ngoc Thuy/Hanoi Times: http://hanoitimes.vn/business-associations-lead-way-in-promoting-business-integrity-in-vietnam-300142.html   MACC ready to help companies identify gaps in anti-corruption plans.  “The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is prepared to help commercial organisations to identify the gaps or the uncovered areas in their anti-corruption plans ahead of the enforcement of Section 17A of the MACC Act in June next year.” Bernama: http://bernama.com/en/news.php?id=1790999 ...

Good outweighs bad in direct regional elections (Opinion).  “Nearly 15 years after the first direct regional elections were held in Indonesia, the government and the country’s biggest political parties have signaled their intention to abolish direct public participation in electing local leaders, citing high costs that could lead to increased corruption.” Karina M. Tehusijarana/The Jakarta Post : https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2019/11/18/good-outweighs-bad-in-direct-regional-elections.html   Iran, China to broaden anti-corruption cooperation.  “In a meeting between chief of Iran’s General Inspection Organization (GIO) Hassan Darvishian and his Chinese counterpart Chen Gu Meng in Tehran, both sides laid emphasis on widening Tehran-Beijing anti-corruption cooperation.” Tehran Times: https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/442069/Iran-China-to-broaden-anti-corruption-cooperation     Trongsa Court orders Anti-...