Regional news from Southeast Asia in English — ASEAN politics, economy and diplomacy, covered by Thai PBS World.
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said today that he will call his Cambodian counterpart, Hun Manet, to discuss the ongoing haze problem Srettha, who is visiting the northern province of Chiang Mai, said he expected to talk to Hun Manet this afternoon, after being briefed by Pakorn Apaphant, the director of the Geo-Informatics and Space
Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei – Brunei’s polo-playing Prince Abdul Mateen, one of Asia’s most eligible bachelors, married his commoner fiancee on Thursday as part of a lavish 10-day celebration in the oil-rich sultanate. An Islamic marriage ceremony for the 32-year-old prince and Yang Mulia Anisha Rosnah, 29, was held inside a gold-domed mosque in the capital Bandar
Prime Minister Hun Manet will pay a one-day official visit to Thailand next month to strengthen the bilateral ties, according to an informed diplomatic source. Manet will arrive in Bangkok on February 7 to meet up with his Thai counterpart Srettha Thavisin and further discuss ways to boost trade and investment between the two countries.
Laos has appointed a veteran diplomat as the ASEAN special envoy to Myanmar ahead of the ASEAN foreign ministerial retreat in Luang Prabang later this month, according to an informed diplomatic source. Alounkeo Kittikhoun, a former minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, has been named the ASEAN special envoy to the Chair on Myanmar by
Myanmar’s oldest ethnic armed organization, the Karen National Union (KNU), said it is ready to cooperate with neighboring Thailand and China to combat “notorious and rampant” crime, including online scam operations, along the Myanmar-Thai border, according to the Irrawaddy news website. In his New Year’s message to the people, KNU spokesman Padoh Saw Taw Nee
Shan State, Myanmar – An 18-year-old recruit in one of Myanmar’s pro-democracy fighting units prepares to launch a drone strike on junta troops, driven by anger and her mother’s call for revolution. Moe Moe is one of hundreds of women training, living and fighting alongside men in the “People’s Defence Forces”, upending gender norms in the mostly Buddhist country.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin will join the fourth Mekong-Lancang Cooperation (MLC) Leaders’ Meeting via video conference next week, said an informed government source. Srettha will join Chinese Premier Li Qiang and other riparian colleagues online to discuss the progress made under the MLC framework over the years. Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia are the other
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Halal-certified bakeries in largely Muslim Malaysia can now put Christmas greetings on cakes for their customers, religious authorities said, reversing a three-year-old ban following public uproar. The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia, known as Jakim, said Monday that the new directive replaces a previous order which barred the businesses from writing Merry
Yangon, Myanmar – Myanmar junta authorities have arrested two journalists in night raids, their outlet said on Wednesday, as the military cracks down on independent media. Since toppling Aung San Suu Kyi’s government in 2021, the military has waged a sweeping and bloody campaign against dissent, and at least 170 journalists have since been arrested, according
Thailand will repatriate next week the last three orangutans, smuggled into the country from Indonesia, a senior official from the National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation Department said today. “We will send the latest group, comprising Nobita and Shizuka, both aged 7, and Brian, aged 4, back to Indonesia next Thursday,” said the department’s director-general,
Chinese-owned short video app TikTok on Monday announced a $1.5 billion investment in GoTo group in a deal that would allow it to restart its online shop in Indonesia, the companies said in a statement. Under the deal, TikTok Shop will be merged into GoTo’s Tokopedia, and TikTok will have a controlling stake in that
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said yesterday that Thailand is ready to upgrade ties with Vietnam as a comprehensive strategic partnership when he visits Hanoi early next year. He told Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman, Vuong Dinh Hue, during their bilateral talks that their relations are progressing very rapidly and effectively in all areas. Thailand and Vietnam
