Cuban president addresses anger over 'there are no beggars' claim
Labor Minister Marta Elena Feito on Monday told a parliamentary committee meeting about measures to address poverty that people rummaging for food in garbage bins are in fact "disguised as beggars."
"When you look at their hands, when you look at the clothes those people are wearing, they are disguised as beggars, they are not beggars. In Cuba, there are no beggars," she said in statements broadcast live on state television.
Social media users in the communist nation reacted with outrage, posting photos of people eating out of trash cans, while economist Pedro Monreal commented on X that there are "people disguised as 'ministers'" in Cuba.
President Miguel Diaz-Canel entered the fray on X Tuesday to lambast Feito's "lack of sensitivity."
He later told a parliamentary session that "none of us can act with arrogance, act with pretense, disconnected from the realities we live in."
Beggars, added Diaz-Canel, are "concrete expressions of social inequalities and the problems" Cuba faces.
Poverty levels have increased sharply as the Caribbean country reckons with its worst economic crisis in three decades, marked by shortages of food, medicine and fuel and daily power blackouts.
Observers blame a combination of US sanctions, domestic mismanagement of the economy, and the Covid-19 pandemic tanking the nation's vital tourist industry.
Last year, the government said there were 189,000 families and 350,000 individuals out of a population of 9.7 million living in "vulnerable" conditions and benefiting from social assistance programs.
AFP has observed a marked increase in the last two years of homeless people and beggars on the streets of a country where the average monthly salary is less than $20 at the unofficial exchange rate.
Cuba's economy shrunk for the second consecutive year in 2024, contracting 1.1 percent compared to 1.9 percent in 2023.
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Bangkok Post
8 hours ago
- Bangkok Post
Thailand and Cambodia truce agreement comes into effect
SURIN - A truce agreement between Thailand and Cambodia came into effect in the early hours of Tuesday, testing whether it will halt five days of open combat that have engulfed their jungle-clad frontier. Both sides agreed an "unconditional" ceasefire would start at midnight on Monday to end battling over a smattering of ancient temples in disputed zones along their 800-kilometre border. In the Cambodian city of Samraong -- 20 kilometres from the border -- an AFP journalist heard a steady drumbeat of artillery strikes throughout Monday, before the blast sounds stopped in the 30 minutes leading up to midnight. Jets, rockets and artillery have killed at least 38 people since Thursday and displaced nearly 300,000 more -- prompting intervention from US President Donald Trump over the weekend. The flare-up was the deadliest since violence raged sporadically from 2008-2011 over the territory, claimed by both because of a vague demarcation made by Cambodia's French colonial administrators in 1907. The peace deal is set to see military commanders from both sides meet at 7am, before a cross-border committee is convened in Cambodia to further salve tensions on Monday. "When I heard the news I was so happy because I miss my home and my belongings that I left behind," Phean Neth told AFP on Monday evening at a sprawling camp for Cambodian evacuees on a temple site away from the fighting. "I am so happy that I can't describe it," said the 45-year-old. A joint statement from both countries, as well as Malaysia which hosted the peace talks, said the ceasefire was "a vital first step towards de-escalation and the restoration of peace and security". Both sides are courting Trump for trade deals to avert his threat of eye-watering tariffs, and the US State Department said its officials had been "on the ground" to shepherd peace talks. The joint statement said China also had "active participation" in the talks, hosted by Malaysian Prime Minister and Asean bloc chair Anwar Ibrahim in his country's administrative capital Putrajaya. Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet thanked Trump for his "decisive" support, while his counterpart, Thai acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, said it should be "carried out in good faith by both sides". "If they say they'll stop firing, they must stop completely," said 43-year-old Thai evacuee Prapakarn Samruamjit in the city of Surin. 'Highly tense' On the eve of the talks, Thailand's military said Cambodian snipers were camped in one of the contested temples, and accused Phnom Penh of surging troops along the border and hammering Thai territory with rockets. It said there was fighting at seven areas in the rural region, marked by a ridge of hills surrounded by wild jungle and fields where locals farm rubber and rice. Mr Trump has threatened both countries with high levies in his global tariff blitz unless they agree to independent trade deals -- but said he would "look forward" to signing them once "peace is at hand". Each side had already agreed to a truce in principle, while accusing the other of undermining peace efforts and trading allegations about the use of cluster bombs and targeting of hospitals. Thailand says 11 of its soldiers and 14 civilians have been killed, while Cambodia has confirmed only eight civilian and five military deaths. However, the Thai military said it has returned the bodies of 12 Cambodian soldiers killed in combat. More than 138,000 people have fled Thailand's border regions, while around 140,000 have been driven from their homes in Cambodia.
Bangkok Post
18 hours ago
- Bangkok Post
Thailand and Cambodia agree truce after five days of fighting
PUTRAJAYA - Thailand and Cambodia's leaders agreed to an "unconditional" ceasefire on Monday, after five days of combat along their jungle-clad frontier that has killed at least 36 people. Nearly 300,000 people have fled as the two sides fired artillery, rockets and guns in a battle over the long-disputed area, which is home to a smattering of ancient temples. The flare-up was the deadliest since violence raged sporadically from 2008-2011 over the territory, claimed by both sides because of a vague demarcation made by Cambodia's French colonial administrators in 1907. Reading a joint statement from the leaders of both countries after peace talks, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said they had agreed "an immediate and unconditional ceasefire" with effect from midnight Monday. "This is a vital first step towards de-escalation and the restoration of peace and security," he said at a press conference in Malaysia's administrative capital Putrajaya, flanked by Thai acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai and Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet. Mr Anwar said a meeting of military commanders from both sides would take place on Tuesday morning, before the countries' cross-border committee, the General Border Committee, would meet in Cambodia on Aug 4. As the deal was being announced, an AFP journalist in the Cambodian city of Samraong -- 17 kilometres from the fraught frontier -- reported hearing continuing artillery blasts. But locals expressed relief that a truce had been struck. "I am very happy with the ceasefire. This will let people go back home and children go back to school," 48-year-old Cambodian vendor Soeung Chhivling told AFP. "Please stop the clashes." 'Very good results' US President Donald Trump -- who both nations are courting for trade deals to avert the threat of eye-watering tariffs -- intervened over the weekend, and said both sides had agreed to "quickly work out" a truce. "Today we had a very good meeting and very good results," said Cambodia's Hun Manet, thanking Mr Trump for his "decisive" support and saying the truce would serve as "a foundation for future de-escalation". Ahead of the summit, Thailand and Cambodia had traded fresh fire and barbed accusations. Cambodian Defence Ministry spokeswoman Maly Socheata said it was "the fifth day that Thailand has invaded Cambodia's territory with heavy weapons and with the deployment of a lot of troops". And as he departed Bangkok airport, Mr Phumtham told reporters he did not believe Cambodia was "acting in good faith". After the talks hosted by Mr Anwar -- chair of the Asean bloc of which both Thailand and Cambodia are members -- Mr Phumtham called for the truce to be "carried out in good faith by both sides". "Thailand decides for peaceful resolution, while continuing to protect our sovereignty and the lives of our people," he said. 'Highly tense' On the eve of the talks, Thailand's military said Cambodian snipers were camped in one of the contested temples, and accused Phnom Penh of surging troops along the border and hammering Thai territory with rockets. It said there was fighting at seven areas in the rural region, marked by a ridge of hills surrounded by wild jungle and fields where locals farm rubber and rice. "The situation remains highly tense, and it is anticipated that Cambodia may be preparing for a major military operation prior to entering negotiations," the Royal Thai Army statement read. Mr Trump has threatened both countries with high levies in his global tariff blitz unless they agree to independent trade deals -- but said he would "look forward" to signing them once "peace is at hand". Each side had already agreed to a truce in principle, while accusing the other of undermining peace efforts and trading allegations about the use of cluster bombs and targeting of hospitals. Thailand says nine of its soldiers and 14 civilians have been killed, while Cambodia has confirmed eight civilian and five military deaths. The Thai military said it had returned the bodies of 12 Cambodian soldiers killed in combat.
Bangkok Post
a day ago
- Bangkok Post
Hong Kong leader vows to make city 'preferred destination' after 12% surge in tourists
Hong Kong leader John Lee Ka-chiu has pledged to adopt innovative thinking to make the city a "preferred travel destination", following a 12% increase in tourist arrivals during the first half of the year. Latest figures by the Hong Kong Tourism Board showed that the city welcomed about 3.48 million visitors in June, bringing the total number from January to June to more than 23.6 million, a 12% year-on-year increase. Three-quarters of the arrivals, or 17.8 million, came from mainland China. The board said on Saturday that about 5.84 million visitors arrived from the rest of the world, marking a 17% increase compared with the same period last year. "Visitors from most short-haul markets, including Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines, increased by at least 25% year on year," it said. "Among long-haul markets, Australia recorded a notable growth of 33% year on year." In a Facebook post, Lee attributed the tourism boom partly to a string of arts, cultural and sports mega-events. He also pointed to the opening of Kai Tak Sports Park, the city's newest hub for world-class concerts and sporting events. "Achieving such remarkable results amid fierce competition with neighbouring regions is no small feat, reflecting Hong Kong's appealing 'East-meets-West' tourism elements and its growing attractiveness in the international tourism market," the chief executive said. Lee also promised that his government would strive to keep its finger on the pulse of the market and adopt more "innovative thinking to make Hong Kong a preferred tourist destination". "We will keep creating tourist attractions and organising mega-events, offering different activities every day to attract visitors from around the world to Hong Kong," he said. Last year, Hong Kong received 44.5 million visitors, up 30.9% from 2023. Roughly 76% of them arrived from the mainland. Those from other short-haul markets, excluding the mainland and Macau, grew by 53.4% year on year, while those from long-haul markets saw a 50.9% year-on-year jump in 2024. The city welcomed a record 65 million visitors in 2018. But the tourism sector has since been hit by Covid-19. Although inbound tourism has started to recover since the pandemic, the composition of mainland tourists has changed, with many spending less than before.
