Regional news from Southeast Asia in English — ASEAN politics, economy and diplomacy, covered by Thai PBS World.
COVID-19 has aggravated the issue of press freedom, media business viability and journalist safety around Southeast Asia, according to a panel of experts speaking during a webinar held Tuesday by the Public Media Alliance (PMA). The pandemic has provided governments with an opportunity to increase regulation of the media, citing the necessity to control “inaccurate”
Jakarta (AFP) – Indonesia will reopen the resort island of Bali to select international travellers next week, a senior minister said, after the pandemic starved the holiday hotspot of one of its primary sources of income. The island’s Ngurah Rai International Airport will be open to international travelers from South Korea, China, Japan, the United Arab
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Saturday he will not run for vice president in 2022 and will retire from politics, potentially paving the way for his daughter to contest the country’s highest office. “The overwhelming… sentiment of the Filipinos is that I am not qualified and it would be a violation of the constitution to circumvent the law, the spirit
The Philippine president says he will prohibit Cabinet officials from attending an ongoing Senate inquiry on suspected irregularities in massive government purchases of medical supplies in a brewing constitutional crisis. President Rodrigo Duterte told Cabinet members in a televised meeting Thursday night that he’ll issue a written order barring them and other officials, including three
As the political turmoil continues to wreak havoc in Myanmar, the economy has plunged into an even deeper recession. By September 29th, the exchange rate was 3,000 Kyat to the $US, an increase of around 140% compared to the price prior to the coup on February 1st, with some thinking that this is the prelude
Very few Thais are aware that it was former Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, who saved Thailand-Japan relations from going down the drain in 2014. Nearly three months after the infamous power seizure in May 2014 by the army chief, Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, the Japanese government under former prime minister Shinzo Abe responded to the
Sept 29 (Reuters) – Myanmar‘s currency has lost more than 60% of its value since the beginning of September, driving up food and fuel prices in an economy that has tanked since a military coup eight months ago. Many gold shops and money exchanges closed on Wednesday due to the turmoil, while the kyat’s dive trended on social media with comments ranging from stark warnings to efforts to
From shoes and sweaters to car parts and coffee, Vietnam’s strict and lengthy coronavirus lockdown has sparked product shortages among worldwide brands such as Nike and Gap which have grown increasingly dependent on the Southeast Asian nation’s manufacturers. The snarl-ups at Vietnam’s factories are part of a broader crisis around the planet that is sending
Since the February 1st military coup, led by the Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and the Tatmadaw (military), Myanmar had endured a great deal of turmoil. Several journalists have been convicted on various charges, which include violations of section 505A of the penal code, which makes it a crime to publish or circulate stories, reports
Phnom Penh (AFP) – Cambodia on Friday began inoculating children as young as six against coronavirus, even though the World Health Organization (WHO) has yet to approve a vaccine for the under-12s. The southeast Asian country has won praise for its swift vaccination programme, which has seen more than 98 percent of the adult population
Thailand needs to play a more “assertive role” in order to make its presence in regional and international diplomacy more meaningful while maintaining a balancing act to avoid being dragged in the intensifying superpower rivalry. But getting its own house in order is also imperative if it wants its voice of be heard with more
Thailand’s Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai is to visit Washington and will attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and ASEAN related meetings in New York next week, according to an informed source. The trip, which will take place from September 20-29, has been described as a “significant visit” by the senior Thai minister, who will
