Regional news from Southeast Asia in English — ASEAN politics, economy and diplomacy, covered by Thai PBS World.
Indonesia, the current ASEAN chair, will host the first high-level ASEAN Indo-Pacific Forum, alongside the ASEAN-related summits, on September 6th and 7th, according to an informed source. The forum is designed to showcase ASEAN centrality and its Indo-Pacific framework, known as the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP), which was completed and endorsed by ASEAN
Under flashing disco lights, residents at a Singapore care home held hands and danced to golden oldies as part of an initiative to help those with dementia. They grooved to hits from the 1940s to the 1980s for about an hour in a silent disco format, listening to the tunes via headphones. The playlist, curated
Indonesia’s Anak Krakatoa volcano erupted on Friday, belching a column of ash more than three kilometres into the sky, officials said. The volcanic island emerged from the sea at the beginning of the last century from the crater formed after the 1883 eruption of Mount Krakatoa — one of the deadliest and most destructive in
Indonesia sees the European Union as conducting “regulatory imperialism” with its new deforestation law, but both sides would still engage in talks on a free trade deal, an Indonesian minister said on Thursday. Southeast Asia’s biggest economy will continue negotiations for a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (CEPA) with the bloc, alongside separate consultations to resolve
Japanese auto maker Isuzu has no plan to move its production plants from Thailand to Indonesia, as reported by Indonesian media, according to Narit Therdsteerasukdi, secretary-general of Thailand’s Board of Investment. He said that he has checked the press report with Isuzu Motors (Thailand), which sought a clarification from its parent company in Japan, and
When Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos was swept to power in 2022, human rights activists feared the worst. Marcos had been a vocal supporter of his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war that killed thousands of people, and publicly praised his dictator father’s rule. But, as he seeks to strengthen ties with Washington and attract foreign investment,
Concerns over potential US influence on politics in Thailand arose after the Move Forward party announced its foreign policy, aiming to ‘’Revive, Rebalance, Recalibrate’’ in the hope of having more impact on international stage. Among conspiracy theories and rumours, Thai local media quoted a social media post by a former Thai Ambassador to Buenos Aires,
Vietnam’s capital of Hanoi have been turning off street lights partially to keep the national power system running, amid record rising temperatures that brought a surge in electricity demand in some parts of the Southeast Asian nation. As weather officials warned that the heatwave could run into June, several cities have cut back on public
Thailand should allow other ASEAN countries, especially Indonesia, to help in its efforts to end violence in southern Thailand, while reconsidering Malaysia’s current role as the peace dialogue facilitator, according to a key leader of one of the political parties in the coalition being formed by Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat. Kannavee Suebsueng, secretary
A new government under the leadership of Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat will see Thailand play a more active role in ASEAN and on the international stage, according to an academic in charge of foreign affairs of the party. Thailand will move away from the current government’s practice of “quiet diplomacy” in dealing with
Myanmar’s second-most powerful general has issued a directive to his commanders to keep a closer watch on the Thai-Myanmar border after Thailand’s Move Forward Party won the most House seats in the May 14 general election. According to Irrawaddy, Vice Senior General Soe Win said “The Move Forward Party is pro-West and they will assist terrorists
The Football Association (FA) of Thailand has banned two players from national matches for six months and suspended three staff for a year after brawls during the SEA Games men’s football final in Cambodia on May 16. The televised incident has tarnished the image of Thai football, FA Thailand said in a statement. An FA
