Regional news from Southeast Asia in English — ASEAN politics, economy and diplomacy, covered by Thai PBS World.
This writer vividly remember the last quarter of 1994, when former Vietnamese foreign minister Vu Khoan and his team visited the Jakarta-based ASEAN Secretariat. He was on an important mission, to determine whether Vietnam should join ASEAN as the seventh member in July 1995, before his country made that historical decision. Vu Khoan, who died
Siti Zhywee is far from the stereotypical image of a gamer: unhealthy and isolated, wiling away hours glued to a screen. The 38-year-old mother of two is a dance fitness instructor who will soon be competing in “Just Dance” during the first-ever Olympic Esports Week, kicking off in Singapore on Thursday (June 22). Players of
Indonesian police have this month arrested nearly 500 suspects involved in the trafficking of more than 1,500 victims, officials said Tuesday, as Jakarta cracks down on human smuggling. Indonesia is one of the largest migrant worker-exporting nations in Southeast Asia, with hundreds of thousands from the poorest parts of the archipelago nation leaving the country
The informal meeting arranged by Thailand’s caretaker government on the Myanmar crisis has only provided a comfort zone for the junta across the border, but dealt a blow to Thailand’s international reputation and deepened divisions within ASEAN, according to experts. Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai invited ministers and senior officials from ASEAN and its dialogue partners
Mover Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat on Tuesday reaffirmed his support for ASEAN centrality in resolving the crisis in Myanmar, in what is seen as an attempt to distance himself from the current Thai government’s peace initiative, which has drawn widespread criticism from both local and international human rights and democracy groups. Pita also pledged
About 10 of the 4,000 or so refugees from Myanmar, living at a shelter in Ban Sao Hin in Mae Sariang district of Thailand’s northernmost province of Mae Hong Son, are infected with malaria, causing concern among Thai health officials. Most of the refugees, who have escaped the fighting between Myanmar government forces and Karenni
Delfina Guiwan’s heart was pounding as she snuck back to her village, now abandoned and eerily quiet, in the fertile foothills of gently erupting Mayon volcano in the northeastern Philippines. When patrolling police spotted her, they warned that the village is off-limits because of the danger of a violent eruption at any time. Guiwan, 47,
The visit of US State Secretary Antony Blinken to Beijing has yielded indirect results, especially for anxious regional countries. Both the US and China have yet to reveal what they achieved during the much-awaited trip but, for the region, the fact that the most senior US official had the chance to land in China for
Aung San Suu Kyi, once the de facto leader of the ousted National League for Democracy (NLD) government in Myanmar, turns 78 today. The Nobel laureate had always enjoyed the good will of most of the nation and this will be the first time in decades that she will back in captivity on her birthday.
Thailand’s caretaker government hosted the foreign minister of Myanmar‘s ruling junta at informal regional peace talks on Sunday, as key Southeast Asian counterparts stayed away from the meeting that has drawn sharp criticism. Only Cambodia has so far officially confirmed it intended to attend the talks. Myanmar‘s generals have been barred for nearly two years from senior-level meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian
On Sunday, Thailand’s Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai defended his country’s hosting of peace talks, which the foreign minister of Myanmar’s ruling junta is attending, which will be shunned by key ASEAN counterparts and which is attracting criticism of the incumbent Thai government. Speaking to Thai PBS, Don said the forum is part of Thailand’s continuing
Despite the various degrees of content limitation and changes Southeast Asia media are facing, all online media in the region, and probably globally, are now struggling financially. As social media have now become the main platforms, they have also become main sources of revenues for many media providers. They are now looking for new market
