Regional news from Southeast Asia in English — ASEAN politics, economy and diplomacy, covered by Thai PBS World.
India will convene the second “Track 1.5” roundtable on Myanmar next week, to continue progress made at the first meeting in Bangkok in March, according to a highly informed source. Track 1.5, in terms of diplomacy, are conversations that include a mix of government officials, who participate in an unofficial capacity, and non-governmental experts, all
Two years after the COVID-19 lockdowns, Myanmar’s traditional New Year celebration, called Thingyan, has changed in Yangon. Perhaps the most notable time of year in Myanmar, if not also the most popular, first dried up during COVID-19 due to pandemic related regulations. In 2021, however, a coup and the subsequent fallout ensured that Thingyan became
Jakarta’s Grand Istiqlal Mosque is busy with worshippers this Ramadan. This year they are being encouraged to donate to boost the mosque’s green credentials. A major renovation in 2019 installed more than 500 solar panels on the mosque’s expansive roof. The solar panels are now a major source of Istiqlal’s electricity use. The mosque has
Singapore to build two new sports facilities in a young Chua Chu Kang estate, with an emphasis on activities for all ages. The aim is to build a more inclusive community, according to grassroots leaders in Brickland. Plans for the new facilities were unveiled during National Development Minister Desmond Lee’s visit to the constituency. CNA
Global and Chinese automakers plan to unveil more than a dozen new electric SUVs, sedans and muscle cars this week at the Shanghai auto show, their first full-scale sales event in four years in a market that has become a workshop for developing electrics, self-driving cars and other technology. Automakers are competing to roll out
The United States and Vietnam said Saturday they hoped to upgrade diplomatic ties, days after a flare-up in tensions with China over Taiwan. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, passing through Hanoi on his way to a Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers’ meeting in Japan, met Vietnamese leaders on Saturday to pave the way
Philippine and U.S. soldiers took part in an anti-tank live fire exercise in the Philippines’ largest military base on Thursday (April 13) amid tensions with Beijing over the South China Sea. The drills are part of a two-week annual bilateral exercise between Manila and the U.S. with this year’s edition being the largest in scale
The chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) said on Thursday the bloc “strongly condemns” a military air strike this week on a village in Myanmar, which is reported to have killed up to 100 people including civilians. Tuesday’s attack in the Sagaing area was the deadliest in a recent string of military
Myanmar’s ruling junta has confirmed that it carried out an air strike on a village in which dozens of people were reported killed, drawing condemnation from the United Nations and Western powers. UN rights chief Volker Turk said he was “horrified” by the deadly air strike, whose victims he said included schoolchildren performing dances, with
At least 100 people are estimated to have been killed in Myanmar’s Sagaing Region by air strikes today (Tuesday), according to multiple local news reports, as a large village,called Pazigyi in Kantbalu Township, was targeted by the air force. The dead, mostly villagers, were attending a building opening ceremony when the jet fighter and helicopter
Cambodia deported 19 Japanese nationals suspected of involvement in organised phone and online scams to Japan on Tuesday (April 11), Cambodian police said. The Japanese nationals, all male, were detained in a police operation in the southern city of Sihanoukville in late January, Cambodia’s interior ministry said. They were then sent to the capital, Phnom
Hanoi experienced severe air pollution on Monday (April 10) as the air quality index (AQI) in the Vietnamese capital climbed to 161, breaching the “unhealthy” level. “Even with this nice and cool weather, taking a walk in this condition makes me feel unsafe,” said 32-year-old Hanoi resident Nguyen Anh But, as he passed by the
