Regional news from Southeast Asia in English — ASEAN politics, economy and diplomacy, covered by Thai PBS World.
When Japanese brewing giant Kirin called time on its Myanmar operations last month, the news made little difference to Kyaw Gyi — like many drinkers, he had long boycotted the beer it produced with a military conglomerate. For years, Myanmar Beer dominated bars and supermarket shelves, its Japanese backing a sign of the economic liberalization
JAKARTA, April 3 (Reuters) – The world’s largest Muslim-majority nation of Indonesia welcomed the start of the holy fasting month of Ramadan with a mass prayer at Jakarta’s grand mosque on Saturday, with plateauing coronavirus cases allowing for eased restrictions this year. Thousands gathered after dusk at Istiqlal mosque in the Indonesian capital to join the Tarawih
UN special envoy on Myanmar, Noeleen Heyzer, held talks with the ASEAN chair and its special envoy in Phnom Penh on Thursday, to strengthen UN-ASEAN cooperation in their efforts to end the quagmire in Myanmar. Heyzer is reported to have had frank and constructive discussions with the ASEAN Chair, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, and
Land border checkpoints between Thailand and Malaysia have reopened today (Friday), after being closed for more than two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A main checkpoint in Sadao district of Thailand’s southern province of Songkhla saw about 20 Malaysians, out of 107 “Thailand Pass” applicants pass through. Numerous immigration and health officials were deployed
Myanmar local media reports that a plane, containing materials to print Myanmar Kyat banknotes, is due to arrive in Nay Pyi Taw tonight (Wednesday). Khit Thit News Media cites sources from within the junta-led government saying that the materials were sourced from Uzbekistan and the shipment is to be heavily guarded by security forces in
The Thai Police Cyber Taskforce (PCT) announced today (Thursday) a crackdown on a major call centre gang in Cambodia and the arrest of 28 suspects, among them two Taiwanese. Numerous items of equipment used in the alleged scam, including 30 iPhones, 68 AIO computers, four notebook computers and eight walkie-talkies, were seized in raids on
SINGAPORE, March 24 (Reuters) – Singapore said on Thursday it will lift quarantine requirements for all vaccinated travellers from next month, joining a string of countries in Asia moving more firmly toward a “living with the virus” approach. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the financial hub will also drop requirements to wear masks outdoors
On the second day of their three-day visit to Myanmar, the ASEAN special envoy and delegates are scheduled to meet with selected stakeholders in Yangon today (Tuesday), according to a highly informed source. The source said that Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn and ASEAN Secretary General Dato’ Lim Jock Hoi will
Myanmar will resume international passenger flights from April 17, the military said Saturday, lifting a two-year ban on foreign tourists. The Southeast Asian nation closed its borders to visitors in March 2020 at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in an attempt to prevent rising infections. Myanmar was further isolated after a coup last year
The Thai cabinet agreed today (Tuesday) to allow legal migrant workers from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, who have been working in Thailand for four years, to stay for another two years after the expiry of their work permits. The government signed a memorandum of understanding on labour cooperation with the governments of the three countries,
The second special ASEAN-US summit, which was scheduled to take place on March 28th and 29th, has been postponed until new dates can be arranged in May, according to Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai. Last month, the White House issued a statement saying that the special summit will take place in Washington
March 15 (Reuters) – Myanmar will start accepting the Thai baht currency for settling border trade transactions and is also looking at a similar plan to use the Indian rupee for such trade, the ministries of information and investment said on Tuesday. Myanmar’s military-controlled government has already said it would also accept China’s renminbi as
