Regional news from Southeast Asia in English — ASEAN politics, economy and diplomacy, covered by Thai PBS World.
While the international community watches ASEAN and the actions of the junta closely over the upcoming weeks, many in Myanmar do not believe that the ASEAN five-point consensus will be adhered to by the military generals. State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint are yet to be able to meet their lawyers.
Thailand has proposed what is known as “Friends of the Chair” to coordinate with all parties concerned in the crisis besetting Myanmar with an aim of reaching a negotiated peace settlement in the country. The proposal, made by Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai at the ASEAN summit in Jakarta on Saturday, calls for the core group to
All 53 crew aboard an Indonesian submarine that disappeared last week were killed, the military said Sunday as it confirmed the vessel had been found in pieces on the seafloor. Authorities said that they picked up signals early Sunday from a location more than 800 meters deep, far below what the KRI Nanggala 402’s steel
Despite Indonesia being adamant that the invitation of Senior General Min Aung Hlaing to the ASEAN summit is not, and should not be seen as any form of legitimization of the regime, ASEAN has been heavily criticized by Myanmar people. While having the military at the table is necessary, they are the perpetrators of a
An Indonesian submarine that went missing off the coast of Bali has sunk, the navy said Saturday, dashing hopes of rescuing any of its 53 crew. The navy’s chief said a search party had recovered fragments from the KRI Nanggala 402 including items from inside the vessel, whose oxygen reserves were already believed to have
The Philippine coast guard is conducting drills in the South China Sea which an official said Sunday were part of efforts to secure “our maritime jurisdiction” over the disputed waters. The exercises near the Philippine-occupied Thitu Island and China-controlled Scarborough Shoal come amid heightened tensions over the resource-rich sea. The latest diplomatic wrangle between the
Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) reached a five-point consensus on the crisis in Myanmar on Saturday, calling for an immediate cessation of violence in the country and a dialogue among all parties concerned to seek a peaceful solution. The ASEAN leaders, meeting for the first time on the Myanmar crisis in
Myanmar has accepted a proposal to stop violence against civilians, Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said on Saturday after an ASEAN meeting on the crisis in Myanmar. Malaysian news agency Bernama quoted him as saying that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting was a success beyond their expectation in getting the outcome from
China has pledged to provide Thailand with up to one million doses of vaccines to speed up inoculation against the deadly virus here as the country is facing a new surge of the pandemic, according to a highly-placed source. State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has reiterated China’s readiness to deliver the Sinovac vaccine
Hopes of rescuing dozens aboard a missing Indonesian submarine faded Saturday as its oxygen reserves were believed to have run out, turning the focus to retrieving the stricken vessel from waters off Bali. As hundreds of military personnel took part in a frantic hunt for the KRI Nanggala 402, authorities said the German-built craft was
Indonesia’s desperate search for a missing submarine and its 53 crew was focused on a signal from an unidentified object Friday, with just hours to go before the stricken vessel’s oxygen reserves ran out. Nearly two dozen warships were taking part in the ramped-up hunt, as Australia and the United States joined the search off
As Myanmar grapples with the immediate consequences of the military coup, the dangers of the COVID-19 epidemic have been largely been forgotten. Now, however, COVID-19’s third wave is hitting neighbouring nations hard. After the second wave, Myanmar saw over 3,200 deaths, among over 140,000 cases. The third world Southeast Asian nation was slowly recovering, as
