Regional news from Southeast Asia in English — ASEAN politics, economy and diplomacy, covered by Thai PBS World.
Cambodia began a rollout of Covid-19 vaccinations for teenagers in its capital Phnom Penh and three provinces Sunday, with Premier Hun Sen’s grandchildren among the first to get the jab. Several countries in Southeast Asia are currently experiencing a deadly Covid-19 resurgence largely driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, which has set back the
Myanmar’s military ruler Min Aung Hlaing has taken on the role of prime minister in a newly formed caretaker government, state media reported on Sunday, six months after the army seized power from a civilian government. In a speech on Sunday, Min Aung Hlaing repeated a pledge to hold elections by 2023 and said his
The United Kingdom is expected to be admitted as the 11th dialogue partner of Asean next week when the Asean foreign ministers meet virtually for the 54th annual meeting, according to a well-informed source. The source said that the Asean leaders will make the final decision on the status of the UK, which applied to become the
China has called on Asean to speed up the negotiations on a code of conduct (COC) for the South China Sea, which has been dragging on since 2012. On 28 July, State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the ASEAN representatives from various foreign ministries and think-thanks via teleconference that both sides must accelerate
MANILA (AP) — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is warning that Filipinos who refuse to get vaccinated against the coronavirus will not be allowed to leave their homes as a safeguard against the more contagious delta variant. Duterte said in televised remarks Wednesday night that there is no law mandating such a restriction but added he
At least six Rohingya Muslims, including children, were killed and several others injured on Tuesday (July 27) after heavy monsoon rains triggered landslides and flooding in refugee camps in southern Bangladesh, officials said. Video footage showed the damage and destruction in parts of the Kutapalong refugee camp, with people searching for their belongings after the landslide. Onno
Hopes that two Asian economic giants, Japan and South Korea, would be able to reconcile and improve their soured bilateral ties at the 2020 Olympics have been dashed. South Korean President Moon Jae-In’s last-minute cancellation of his visit to Japan to attend the Olympics opening ceremony was unfortunate and has far-reaching regional ramifications. It has
Six months after the February 1st coup, Myanmar remains conflict-ridden as anti-coup protests continue and armed civilian militia proliferate. What is following the political crisis is an economic one, with Fitch Solutions estimating that the country’s GDP will contract by 20% this year alone. The junta has tried to maintain a veneer of being pro-business,
MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines will ban travellers coming from Malaysia and Thailand, as well as tighten restrictions in the Manila area, in a bid to prevent the spread of the contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus, the presidential spokesperson said on Friday. The travel restriction will take effect from Sunday and run to the end of July, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a national address. “This
Yangon (AFP) – A confidante of deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and stalwart democracy campaigner died Tuesday after becoming infected with Covid-19 in prison, authorities said. Nyan Win, a veteran senior member and former spokesperson of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party — led by Suu Kyi — was 78. He had
(AP) — Myanmar’s military-installed government and those seeking to topple it on Monday marked the 74th anniversary of the assassination of independence hero Gen. Aung San, the father of the country’s recently ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. The separate commemorations by the contending groups were a reminder of the tragic political turmoil that has
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia reported more than 54,000 new coronavirus cases for the first time Wednesday, surpassing recent daily infections in India, whose disastrous outbreak is declining, and becoming Asia’s new virus hotspot. Officials fear that the more highly transmissible delta variant is now spreading from the islands of Java and Bali, where outbreaks
