Regional news from Southeast Asia in English — ASEAN politics, economy and diplomacy, covered by Thai PBS World.
Two Filipino transgender individuals were indicted on assault charges in Pathumwan district this afternoon, for alleged involvement, with others, in the attack on six Thai transgender people at a Sukhumvit food stop on March 4, said Pol Maj-Gen Witthawat Chinkham, commander of the 5th division of Metropolitan Police Bureau. He said that police are looking
The Myanmar military junta has “strongly objected” to the Thai parliament’s hosting of a seminar on the situation in Myanmar over the weekend in Bangkok. The seminar was joined by senior figures from Myanmar’s anti-junta shadow government, Thai opposition lawmakers, democracy activists and others, according to Reuters. Despite the objections, the event, “Three Years after
Leaders from Southeast Asian nations and Australia gathered in Melbourne on Monday are expected to denounce the “threat or use of force” to settle disputes in the region, a collective swipe at China. “We strive for a region where sovereignty and territorial integrity is respected,” a draft joint ASEAN-Australia statement obtained by AFP read. “We
Geneva, Switzerland – Three years of military rule in Myanmar have inflicted unbearable cruelty, leaving people trapped in an unending nightmare as the conflict spreads, the UN human rights chief said Friday. The junta is crushing all forms of dissent with total impunity, Volker Turk told the UN Human Rights Council, urging the United Nations’ top rights body
Only a few people in the world can repair copies of the Qur’an, the holy book of Islam, and two of those experts live in Thailand’s Narathiwat province, according to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin today. The Thai Foreign Ministry will be assigned to inform other countries about this, so that, if they want to have
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin will attend the special Asea-Australia Summit in Melbourne, Australia, on March 4-6 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations, according to an informed diplomatic source. He will attend the three-day meeting along with other invited Asean leaders, except the Myanmar leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao
At the recent Asean foreign ministers’ retreat in Luang Prabang, quite a few of the leaders supported Timor Leste joining Asean by next year. In particular, Malaysia, which takes over the chairmanship in 2025, made it clear that it wishes to chair an 11-member Asean. When Asean started to enlarge its membership after the end
Phnom Penh, Cambodia – Cambodia’s ruling party claimed a landslide victory in Senate elections on Sunday, setting the stage for ex-PM Hun Sen to officially return to politics after he stepped down last year. After nearly four decades of hardline rule, Hun Sen handed power to his eldest son Hun Manet after national polls last July
Thai Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-nukara said he expects the delivery of humanitarian assistance to displaced people inside Myanmar to begin by the first week of March with the border area in Tak province to be used as the staging point. Speaking to Thai PBS World in a recent interview, Parnpree said efforts will be made
A Chinese-owned hotel in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, was forced to terminate its ring-toss game, in which Chinese men took turns tossing hoops at young Lao women to win wine and beer, according to Radio Free Asia. The decision was made after a short video of the game went viral and received angry comments
Phnom Penh, Cambodia – Cambodia’s parliament on Wednesday approved ex-ruler Hun Sen’s youngest son as a deputy prime minister, the latest member of the family to be promoted since the former leader handed the reins to his eldest son Hun Manet. Hun Sen stepped down in August after nearly four decades of ruling Cambodia with an iron fist,
Former Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen has described his relationship with his former Thai counterpart, Thaksin Shinawatra, as that of brothers and an excellent 32-year friendship. “We are brothers. We talked no politics. We reminisced about our 32 years of friendship,” wrote Hun Sen on his Facebook page. Hun Sen was the first guest to
