The Philippines will deport 40,000 Chinese workers in a crackdown on unlicensed online gaming businesses, an official said Tuesday, after reports of kidnapping, prostitution and murder in the gambling industry. So-called Philippine offshore gaming operators, or POGOs, have boomed since 2016 as former president…
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With tickets selling fast and party suites costing up to $70,000 a night, Singapore is putting the pedal to the metal when it hosts Asia’s first Formula One race this…
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Vietnam ordered hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate their homes Tuesday as Super Typhoon Noru barrelled towards the busy city of Danang, with forecasters predicting the storm would be one of the biggest to…
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Myanmar’s former beauty queen and an anti-junta activist, Thaw Nandar Aung, aka “Han Lay”, who has been stranded in Thailand due to immigration difficulties, has finally been granted asylum in…
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BULACAN, Philippines, Sept 26 (Reuters) – Philippine authorities rushed on Monday to distribute aid to thousands of evacuees after typhoon Noru made landfall in the capital and northern provinces, leaving…
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Their stomachs full of eggs, beer, and coconut water, Nguyen Van Liet’s prized white oxen streak ahead of their rivals to the cheer of tens of thousands of spectators in Vietnam’s…
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The death toll from a capsized boat off Cambodia’s coast rose to three Chinese nationals on Saturday, with a further nine rescued in Vietnamese waters and eight still missing, Cambodian authorities said. The boat with 41 Chinese people on board…
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The newly release Global Trade Growth Atlas 2022 has put the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the spotlight because the region is forecast to lead the world in…
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Cambodian rescuers were still searching on Saturday for at least 10 missing Chinese nationals after a boat with more than 40 people on board sank near islands off the coastal…
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Miss Grand Myanmar 2020 Han Lay, says Myanmar police attached to their embassy in Bangkok tried to gain access to her, but she rejected their demand and, sought help from…
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After arriving from Vietnam today (Tuesday), Han Lay, Miss Grand Myanmar 2020, was denied entry to Thailand at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok by immigration officials for not having a…
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Southeast Asian nations must decide if they are going to push ahead with a so-far failed five-point peace plan for Myanmar or “decide what’s next” before their leaders meet in November, Malaysia‘s Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah…
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Government helicopters have attacked a school and village in north-central Myanmar, killing at least 13 people including seven children, a school administrator and an aid worker said Monday. Civilian casualties often…
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Thai military forces based along the Myanmar border in the northern province of Chiang Rai have stepped up border surveillance, especially in Mae Sai district, to prevent the smuggling of…
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Indonesian rescuers have recovered seven bodies after a landslide at an illegal gold mine buried an estimated 20 people, officials said on Saturday. The victims were mining gold on a…
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JAKARTA, Sept 11 (Reuters) – About 200 people evacuated to higher ground after an earthquake of magnitude 6.1 struck islands in western Indonesia on Sunday, causing some property damage, the…
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Vietnamese carmaker VinFast on Saturday (September 10) began handing its first batch of 100 all-electric sport utility vehicles (SUVs) over to local customers, with U.S. deliveries of the vehicle due…
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An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 struck the region of Papua in Indonesia on Saturday and has no potential to trigger a tsunami, the country’s geophysics agency (BMKG) said. The quake struck about…
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Telecom giant Ooredoo has reportedly sold its Myanmar operations to a Singapore based company for US$576,000,000. The last of the internationally based telcos in Myanmar, it was reported by Reuters…
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The death toll from a fire that tore through a karaoke bar in southern Vietnam has risen to 23, an official said Wednesday. The blaze engulfed the second floor of…
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Myanmar’s dissident groups have proposed the establishment of an ASEAN-Plus inclusive platform to engage all stakeholders in resolving the ongoing political crises in the military-ruled country, the United Nations Special…
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The leader of Myanmar’s military junta will travel to Russia next week for economic talks, state media in the Southeast Asian nation reported Saturday. Min Aung Hlaing’s visit comes as…
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Sept 2 (Reuters) – A court in Myanmar has jailed a former British ambassador and her spouse for one year for violating immigration laws, sources and media said on Friday,…
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A Myanmar junta court sentenced ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to three years in jail “with hard labour” on Friday, for electoral fraud in the 2020 polls that her…
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Rosmah Mansor, the wife of Malaysia’s ex-premier Najib Razak, was found guilty of graft on Thursday and sentenced to 10 years in jail with a $216 million fine, just over…
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KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 1 (Reuters) – Rosmah Mansor, the wife of former prime minister Najib Razak, arrived in court on Thursday to hear the verdict on charges against her of…
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A Thai drug suspect was shot dead and three others were arrested in a drug bust in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh on Wednesday, according to Cambodian media. The…
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A Cambodian psychiatrist treating victims of the Khmer Rouge and a French environmentalist cleaning up Indonesian rivers were among the winners Wednesday of the 2022 Ramon Magsaysay Award — considered…
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On August 27th, the value of the Myanmar Kyat (MMK) to the US Dollar (USD) hit a record low at 3,400 MMK/US$1. Similarly, the price of the Baht strengthened against…
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Former United Kingdom Ambassador to Myanmar, Vicky Bowman, was reportedly arrested on the night of August 24th, when security forces went to her residence in Yangon, claiming that she needed…
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Singapore’s decision to decriminalize sex between men is being hailed as a step in the right direction for LGBTQ rights in the Asia-Pacific region, a vast area of nearly 5…
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Malaysia’s highest court Tuesday upheld former prime minister Najib Razak’s 12-year jail sentence for corruption in the 1MDB financial scandal. “We find the appeal devoid of any merits. We find…
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Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced Sunday the country will repeal a colonial-era law criminalizing gay sex, though he maintained that the government will continue to “uphold” marriage as…
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According to documents leaked online, the military-regime in Myanmar is attempting to clamp down on mobile banking and electronic money transfers. The leaked documents, which went viral on social media,…
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For years ASEAN has benefited from its ambiguous relations with Taiwan, while enjoying formal ties with mainland China. But the ongoing tensions in the Taiwan Strait might create a new normal…
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Despite a heavier than usual deployment of police and soldiers, activists in Yangon managed to carry out guerrilla protests in remembrance of the 88′ revolution. “I saw the kids that…
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In responding to recent cross-strait developments, ASEAN’s foreign minister has called for all parties to exercise maximum restraint, refrain from provocative action and to adhere strictly to the principles contained…
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The military junta’s latest action has further worsened the prospect of a peace process in Myanmar. The ASEAN joint statement issued on Tuesday said it all: ASEAN denounces and is…
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A 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit the northern Philippines Wednesday, the US Geological Survey said, shattering windows of buildings at the epicentre and shaking high-rise towers more than 300 kilometres (185 miles)…
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Three more political prisoners have been executed in Yangon Region’s infamous Insein Prison, according to sources. The identities of the three are unconfirmed so far and they were executed almost…
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July 25 (Reuters) – Myanmar’s military authorities have executed four democracy activists accused of helping carry out “terror acts”, state media said on Monday, the Southeast Asian nation’s first executions…
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AFP – Three people were killed Sunday in a rare shooting at a university in the Philippine capital Manila, officials said, in what appears to have been a targeted assassination. …
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Nazeri bin Lajim, a 64-year-old Singaporean, has only hours left to live. Singapore intends to execute him in the early hours of Friday morning. His family was informed by the…
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“We can no longer manufacture cars (here) of the brand for which I hold dealership status. We are continuing to sell what we have left. I think other car brands,…
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The Biden administration’s nominee for US ambassador to Thailand said on Wednesday that he would press Bangkok to reduce its dependence on oil and gas from neighbouring Myanmar, where the…
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Myanmar, a developing nation, relies heavily on exports of raw ingredients, of which agricultural exports make up nearly 10%. According to a recent Bloomberg report, Myanmar’s Rice Federation had set a…
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SINGAPORE, July 11 (Reuters) – Myanmar’s junta government is installing Chinese-built cameras with facial recognition capabilities in more cities across the country, three people with direct knowledge of the matter…
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US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, met with Thailand’s Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, and Foreign Affairs Minister, Don Pramudwinai, on Sunday, as part of his Southeast Asia tour. Prime Minister…
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The signing in Bangkok today (Sunday) of the Communique on Strategic Alliance and Partnership and the Memorandum of Understanding to Promote Supply Chain Resilience,between Thailand and the United States, will…
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ASEAN leaders will join their EU counterparts in Belgium in December for their first summit, according to an informed source. The summit will reportedly be held on December 14th and…
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Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said today (Friday) that the incursion into Thai airspace of a Myanmar MiG-29 jet, which flew over Tak province yesterday, is not a big deal, noting…
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The Oukayithta military base, located in the northern Myawaddy Township in Kayin State, came under attack on June 26th. A major offensive was launched by the Karen National Defence Organization…
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The Royal Thai Air Force sent two F-16 jet fighters after an aircraft, believed to be a MiG 29 of the Myanmar air force, was found to have intruded into…
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June 24 (Reuters) – Myanmar military authorities have transferred deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi to a prison in the capital from an undisclosed location where she had been held…
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MANILA (AP) — Sara Duterte, the daughter of the outgoing populist president of the Philippines, took her oath Sunday as vice president following a landslide electoral victory she clinched despite…
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A Phnom Penh court convicted around 60 opposition figures including an outspoken US-Cambodian activist in a mass trial Tuesday as long-serving leader Hun Sen cracks down on dissent ahead of…
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Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, the current ASEAN chair, has asked Myanmar’s junta to reconsider the death sentences imposed on individuals opposed to them, according to his letter of June…
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Kuala Lumpur (AFP) – Malaysia’s government said Friday it has agreed to abolish the mandatory death penalty, with campaigners welcoming the move but cautioning the country had failed to deliver on previous…
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ASEAN special envoy, Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, will make his second trip to Myanmar, on June 29th and 30th, to follow up on the implementation…
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Spokesperson for Myanmar’s State Administration Council (SAC), General Zaw Min Tun, has confirmed that four prisoners, two of whom are politicians, will be sentenced to death. The four include ex-NLD…
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Indonesia has summoned India’s envoy in Jakarta over “derogatory” remarks made about the Prophet Mohammed by two officials of the South Asian country’s ruling party, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. The move by the most populous Muslim-majority country came after…
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AFP – Cambodia’s ruling party won a landslide victory in local polls, preliminary results released by the country’s National Election Committee showed Monday. The country voted Sunday with opposition figures…
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The Lao PDR has come a long way, from a land-locked nation to a land-linked hub. Since last December, with a high-speed train linking Southern China to Vientiane up and…
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Senior US defence officials will visit Thailand next week to strengthen ties with its ally in the Indo-Pacific. ADM John Aquilino, Indo-Pacific Commander, is reportedly scheduled to stopover in Bangkok…
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Myanmar’s junta will execute a former lawmaker from Aung San Suu Kyi’s party and a prominent democracy activist, both of whom were convicted of terrorism, in the country’s first judicial…
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Thailand and neighbouring Lao PDR enhance ties on Wednesday, as Laotian Prime Minister Phankham Viphavanh made his first official visit since assuming office last year, with bilateral ties elevated to…
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An explosion was reported in downtown Yangon yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon, injuring at least 10 civilians, one of whom died en route to hospital. According to eye witnesses and local news…
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The ASEAN special envoy on Myanmar Prak Sokhonn will pay another visit to the strife-torn country next month in a renewed attempt to seek a peaceful end to its ongoing…
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An Indonesian ship with 43 people onboard capsized off Indonesia’s Sulawesi island after it ran out of fuel, the search and rescue agency said on Saturday (May 28), as search…
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About 5,000 representatives of governments, the private sector and civil societies from 193 countries are in Bali, Indonesia, to attend the 7th session of the Global Platform (GP2022), convened by…
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At least seven people were killed and scores plucked to safety in the Philippines on Monday after a fire ripped through a ferry and forced passengers to jump overboard, the…
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Only diplomatic platitudes in the joint vision statement plus a small financial package demonstrated the Joe Biden administration’s commitment to maintain momentum in the US’ Indo-Pacific strategy in Southeast Asia,…
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Indonesia organized the 2566 Vesak day celebration at the Borobudur temple in Central Java, local media TVRI reported. The event, by the Indonesian Buddhists Council and the Indonesian Buddhists Association,…
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Prime Minister Prayut Chan-cha, speaking at the special ASEAN-US summit, revealed Thailand’s regional strategies, which will promote peace and resilience in the post-pandemic era. He outlined three priorities for the…
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In an unexpected diplomatic move, ASEAN has decided to delay the granting of “comprehensive strategic partnership”status, or CSP, to the US until November, according to an informed source. The source,…
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ASEAN foreign ministers have reached an agreement with the US over the joint vision statement, which contains 27 paragraphs containing 2,695 words, covering the whole gamut of their relations in…
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(AFP) – President Joe Biden on Thursday welcomed Southeast Asian leaders to Washington with promises to support clean energy and maritime security, hoping to showcase a US commitment as China…
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Some call it “Beauty of democracy”. Under authoritarian regimes, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, or Bongbong, wouldn’t stand a chance. For the son of someone who had been dislodged from power to…
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The leaders of ASEAN countries will meet with US President Joe Biden in Washington D.C. on May 12-13 for a special summit to commemorate the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations…
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MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines woke to a new but familiar political landscape on Tuesday, after an election triumph by Ferdinand Marcos Jr. paved the way for a once unimaginable return to the…
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MANILA (Reuters) – Ferdinand Marcos Jr clinched a stunning runaway victory in the Philippines’ presidential election on Monday in the first win by a majority since a 1986 revolution that toppled his late…
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Batac City (AFP) – Millions of Filipinos thronged primary schools and other polling stations Monday to elect a new president, with the son of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos the favourite to win…
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The son of late Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos was set to address hundreds of thousands of supporters Saturday on the final day of presidential election campaigning, as polls showed him…
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Philippine election rivals traded allegations of dirty tricks and vote-rigging Friday, in the final stretch of an acerbic campaign that is tipped to bring the son of former dictator Ferdinand…
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ASEAN hopes the US will play a constructive role in backing an ASEAN effort to maintain peace and stability, to mitigate the negative impacts of the Ukraine conflict. Director General…
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Cambodia started to build a 1.5-billion- U.S. dollar logistics and multi-purpose seaport on Thursday in the southwestern Kampot province, aiming to enhance the kingdom’s logistics and transportation sector, officials said….
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Amid dramatic shifts in the strategic landscape, and their negative impacts on global peace and stability, Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand issued a joint statement today (Wednesday) on their respective roles…
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Thailand’s global press freedom ranking has improved, as the country ranks 115 out of 180 countries in this year’s World Press Freedom index, a jump from 137 in 2021. Countries…
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Myanmar will see even more frequent power cuts, starting this month, according to local news media Khit Thit. The article, posted on May 3rd, cites civil servants at the power…
Read MoreCambodia, the current chair of ASEAN, is to hold a high-level consultative meeting on May 6th, to discuss ways and means ofproviding humanitarian assistance to Myanmar, according to an informed…
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The Indonesian navy arrested two foreign-flagged tankers attempting to smuggle crude palm oil or CPO. The navy arrested mt world tanker on its way from Dumai in Riau province to…
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President Joko Widodo has ensured that the ban on the export of cooking oil and its raw materials will be lifted only if the cooking oil supply in the market…
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KUALA LUMPUR, April 27 (Reuters) – Malaysia will ease more COVID-19 curbs from the start of next month, including lifting restrictions on those who are not vaccinated against the coronavirus…
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Aung San Suu Kyi has been sentenced to another five years in prison, according to an unidentified official in the judiciary sector. On Wednesday, rumours regarding the former State Counsellor’s…
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A Canadian actor and self-proclaimed wellness guru is facing deportation from Indonesia’s Bali island after a video of him dancing naked at a sacred mountain went viral. Jeffrey Craigen posted…
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Thailand’s Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai appointed Pornpimol Kanchanalak as the country’s first special envoy on Myanmar today (Tuesday). Pornpimol is currently serving as an advisor on foreign policy to Don….
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The global demand for palm oil is likely to switch to Malaysia after Indonesia’s export ban. Malaysia’s Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister, Zuraida Kamaruddin says Malaysia is confident it can…
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A car bomb exploded at the Myanmar immigration building, on the approach to the First Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge, opposite Thailand’s Mae Sot district of Tak province, setting fire to the…
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On the morning of April 19th, a wave of panic hit Myanmar citizens as rumours of fuel shortages went viral on social media. The rumours started following a supposed internal…
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After several rounds of negotiations over the dates for the second special ASEAN-US summit, both sides have now agreed to meet in Washington DC on May 12th and 13th, 2022,…
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