Regional news from Southeast Asia in English — ASEAN politics, economy and diplomacy, covered by Thai PBS World.
Asean is planning to hold an international donor conference on humanitarian aid for Myanmar, which is suffering from an ever-deepening Covid-19 crisis. An informed source, who asked not be identified, said the Asean foreign ministers agreed with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai’s proposal that a fund-pledging conference should be held as soon
The United Nations said Friday it urgently needed funds to feed people in Myanmar amid fears that up to 6.2 million could be plunged into hunger by October. The UN’s World Food Programme said it was 70 percent short of the $86 million needed over the next six months, as the country goes through multiple
New electric vehicle charging technologies will be piloted in Singapore, which has rolled out a regulatory sandbox for this. It’s one of several moves aimed at speeding up the building of EV infrastructure. New electric vehicle charging technologies will be piloted in Singapore, which has rolled out a regulatory sandbox for this. It’s one of
Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn became the first ASEAN member to openly support the upgrade of ASEAN-China ties to a “comprehensive strategic partnership,” according to a foreign ministry’s statement in Phnom Penh. Sokhonn made this point on Wednesday during the virtual ASEAN-China Ministerial Meeting hosted by Brunei, as the ASEAN chair.
Myanmar’s military issued an announcement, hours after Erywan Yusof’s appointment, that Myanmar accepts the selection by ASEAN of the Special Envoy to Myanmar. The diplomat is also to handle ASEAN humanitarian aid programs in Myanmar. No further details have been given so far, except that the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance is to begin
JAKARTA (AP) — Indonesia surpassed 100,000 confirmed COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday, a grim milestone in a country struggling with its worst pandemic wave fueled by the delta variant, amid concerns the actual figure could be much higher. It took 14 months for Indonesia to exceed the 50,000 death mark at the end of May, and
At the 54th Asean Ministerial Meeting, the ASEAN leaders decided to use a common fund to procure 10 million doses of vaccines under the COVAX program. The Joint Communique stated that the Covid-19 ASEAN Response Fund, which has now reached US$20.8 million, part of which would be used to purchase vaccines for the people of ASEAN
Myanmar could turn into the global epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic unless neighboring countries and international organizations adopt pragmatic strategies to inoculate high-risk groups of people to stop the spread of variants, regional experts are warning. Dr. Emma Leslie, executive director of the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, is calling for a pragmatic and coordinated approach,
1,000 volunteers injected with the home-grown vaccine Nanocovax in third-phase trials have developed antibodies against COVID-19, according to a report by Nanogen Pharmaceutical Biotechnology JSC, the vaccine producer. The report was reviewed by the Ministry of Health, whose representatives confirmed that the Nanocovax vaccine is safe and of high immunity. However, data about the duration
ASEAN foreign ministers Tuesday (August 3) agreed to appoint the second foreign Minister of Brunei Darussalam Erywan Yusof as the group’s special envoy to Myanmar, ending a three-month-long tussle among the Asean members. The decision came as a big relief as Asean is contemplating the next move to provide humanitarian aid to the Covid-19 affected
Make no mistake, when the UK decides to display its maritime power, the right place to show off is the South China Sea. It is the center of regional concern that has involved so many major powers. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that London would choose it at this juncture. It is interesting that
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Southeast Asia’s top diplomats were meeting Monday to appoint a special envoy to help deal with the political crisis and violence gripping Myanmar and finalize an emergency plan to help control a coronavirus outbreak that many fear is spiraling out of control in the military-ruled nation. The foreign ministers of the
