Regional news from Southeast Asia in English — ASEAN politics, economy and diplomacy, covered by Thai PBS World.
Hanoi, Vietnam – In a tiny village in northern Vietnam, Dang Thi Hoa ties up a bundle of freshly dried incense sticks ahead of Lunar New Year and watches a line of tourists waiting to pose for pictures. Three generations of Dang Thi Hoa’s family have been dyeing incense sticks scarlet red, or magenta pink, ahead
The stalled peace talks designed to end more than two decades of violence in southern Thailand will resume in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, early next month, according to acting Secretary General of the National Security Council (NSC) Chatchai Bangchuad. Chatchai, who heads the Thai peace dialogue delegation, also expressed hope that the talks should pave the
New Delhi, India – India plans to erect a fence along its vast and porous frontier with Myanmar and will scrap a free movement border zone agreement, Indian media reported Sunday. The announcement by Home Minister Amit Shah comes after hundreds of troops from Myanmar who were fleeing insurgent attacks crossed into India. The government had “decided to fence the
Guwahati, India – Nearly 300 Myanmar soldiers crossed the border into India to flee an advance by armed insurgents fighting the country’s junta, an Indian paramilitary officer told AFP on Friday. Clashes have rocked parts of Myanmar near the Indian border since the Arakan Army (AA) attacked security forces in November, ending a ceasefire that had largely held since a
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said yesterday Thailand should not continue to use low labour cost as an incentive to draw foreign investments and urged ASEAN countries to work together to increase their minimum wages. “Low labour cost should not be the attracting point. The attracting point should be clean energy, good international schools, good public
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Two Malaysian filmmakers behind a banned indie movie touching on differences and similarities between various faiths, including Islam, were charged in court on Wednesday for hurting religious feelings. Director Khairi Anwar Jailani, 31, and producer Tan Meng Kheng, 36, could face a one-year jail term if found guilty. Both pleaded not guilty
Thailand has submitted a letter of intent to join the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), according to a highly placed source. The Cabinet recently approved the letter of intent, paving the way for Thailand to begin negotiations with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the source said. In Davos, Switzerland, during
Asean foreign ministers will meet on January 29 in Luang Prabang to discuss and agree on the bloc’s agenda for the rest of the year, according to the programs released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The foreign ministers are scheduled to arrive a day earlier and hold a three-hour meeting during the first half
Thailand and Myanmar will soon initiate bilateral humanitarian assistance along their common border to alleviate the sufferings of displaced persons, Foreign Minister Parnpee Bahiddha-Nukara revealed yesterday in Davos, Switzerland. He made this announcement at the Diplomacy Dialogue on Myanmar: Preventing a Lost Decade on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum. He was accompanied by
The commander of Thailand’s armed forces has held talks with Myanmar junta boss Gen Min Aung Hlaing to discuss cooperation to crack down on online gambling and online scams, according to Myanmar’s Ministry of Information. It said on its website that the online meeting between the Myanmar leader and Commander of Thai Armed Forces Gen
The Malaysian facilitator for the southern peace talks process said he is optimistic that there will be “concrete” development by the end of this year with a new round of dialogue expected to take place in February. He said one of the challenges is how to get the representatives of the Thai government and the
Yangon, Myanmar – Myanmar’s military and an alliance of armed ethnic minority groups announced a ceasefire on Friday after months of conflict that has claimed hundreds of lives and posed the biggest threat to the junta since it seized power in 2021. Conflict has raged in Myanmar’s northern Shan state since October, when the alliance of ethnic
