Regional news from Southeast Asia in English — ASEAN politics, economy and diplomacy, covered by Thai PBS World.
PETA has welcomed the Thai Commerce Ministry’s use of a traceable labelling system, intended to ensure that Thai coconuts are not harvested by monkeys, but warned that Thai companies exporting coconut products which do not comply with the system may face class action lawsuits, said PETA senior vice president for International Campaigns, Jason Baker, in
At least 125 people were killed and around 200 others are trapped after a jade mine collapsed in Hpakant, northern Myanmar on Thursday, local media reported. The incident happened at around 6:30 a.m. local time. The miners were collecting stones when a “muddy wave” caused by heavy rain buried them, the fire
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has hailed China’s relationship with Thailand and vowed to further advance ties with Thailand and other Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, according to CGTN. In a congratulatory message to Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the
Vietnam on Friday warned the virus pandemic had swept away years of economic gains as Southeast Asian leaders met online for a summit that will also be dominated by anxiety over Beijing’s moves in the flashpoint South China Sea. The current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) also wants to use
Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has proposed three methods, which could be used to revive ASEAN economies post COVID-19, during the ASEAN Summit tele-conference on Friday morning. He urged the regional group to accelerate the implementation of projects under the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) 2025, such as those on green infrastructure development,
A Myanmar news editor has been jailed for two years after his agency reported a coronavirus death that turned out to be false, his lawyer said Friday. The country has only 199 confirmed cases of coronavirus and seen six deaths, although the low numbers tested mean experts fear the true figures are far higher.
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) – Cambodia’s last patient with the new coronavirus has recovered and left hospital, leaving the Southeast Asian country with zero cases, the health ministry said on Saturday, while urging continued vigilance. No easing of restrictions related to the virus – including school closures and border entry checks and quarantines – were included
MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines’ telecoms body ordered the country’s leading broadcaster ABS-CBN Corp to cease operations on Tuesday, as a parliament dominated by President Rodrigo Duterte’s loyalists dragged its feet over renewing its license. Duterte has repeatedly threatened to block the renewal of ABS-CBN’s franchise, after the channel angered him during the 2016 presidential
Police and immigration officials have tightened up border crossings, in the Su-ngai Kolok district of Thailand’s southern border province of Narathiwat, after more than 300 Thai migrant workers in Malaysia slipped back into Thailand illegally. 344 migrant workers, most of whom worked in oil palm and rubber plantations or on fishing vessels in Malaysia, returned
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha this morning called on ASEAN countries to mobilize the energies and efforts of all sectors to jointly fight the novel coronavirus which is ravaging more than half of the countries in the world. He proposed that ASEAN and its three major dialogue partners – China, Japan and South Korea — jointly
SINGAPORE – Asean has to mount a united response to the coronavirus pandemic as the region is deeply connected and interdependent, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday. The Straits Times reported that the Singaporean leader suggested that countries can work together by sharing information, collaborating to keep trading routes and supply lines open,
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will this morning join his ASEAN counterparts in a summit to discuss among other things concerted efforts by the regional grouping to fight against the novel coronavirus. The summit, which will take place via a tele-conference, is expected to endorse a proposal by Thailand to set up an ASEAN fund to
