Thai immigration police arrested 33 Myanmar illegal migrant workers at a deserted warehouse in Bang Klam district of the southern province of Songkhla today (Wednesday). Police also arrested three Thai…
Read MoreThai immigration police arrested 33 Myanmar illegal migrant workers at a deserted warehouse in Bang Klam district of the southern province of Songkhla today (Wednesday). Police also arrested three Thai…
Read MoreASEAN has decided to establish an interim bureau to oversee the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). According to a press statement, issued by Indonesia, the decision came…
Read MoreAfter the dramatic Cabinet shake-up over the past several weeks, Vietnam has been quick to restore confidence in its external relations with allies and friends, near and far. It is…
Read MoreAs the Myanmar crisis enters its third year, one trend is certain – things will get worse and bloodier. The military junta, headed by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, has…
Read MoreThe United States and the Philippines are expected to announce a deal Thursday that will give US troops access to another four military bases in the Southeast Asian nation, as…
Read MoreHundreds of Myanmar people rallied in front of the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok to demand an end to violence in their home country, on the second anniversary of the military…
Read MoreAs Myanmar enters the third year of fallout following the coup, led by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, in over half of the country battles rage between the extant ethnic…
Read MoreSingapore’s biggest public library opens its doors at One Punggol, with a promise to welcome everyone. It’s the country’s fourth regional library, but it aims to be the first fully…
Read MoreThe United States slapped fresh sanctions on Myanmar Tuesday, a day before the Southeast Asian country marks the second anniversary of a military coup that launched a violent campaign against…
Read MoreRight behind San Sebastian Basilica, one of Manila’s most revered churches, a high-rise condominium is under construction, triggering a conflict between developers and conservationists. The unsavoury development also threatens to…
Read MoreMyanmar’s junta on Friday gave political parties two months to re-register under a strict new electoral law written by the military, the latest sign it is planning fresh polls this…
Read MoreThe Philippine government said Friday it intended to appeal an International Criminal Court decision to reopen an inquiry into Manila’s brutal anti-drug campaign, which left thousands dead. The Hague-based tribunal…
Read MoreThailand’s lenient stance as well as the close ties between its armed forces and the Myanmar military — also known as Tatmadaw — would undermine the efforts of ASEAN and…
Read MoreThe recent meeting in Zurich between US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He sent a positive signal that the world’s two superpowers are on the path…
Read MoreThe ASEAN leaders will meet with their dialogue partners at the year-end summit in September, two months earlier than usual, according to an informed diplomatic source. The source said that…
Read MoreAll passport applicants must now wait for the immigration department to reopen, after the government temporarily suspended operations at the passport office. The announcement came from Myanmar Overseas Employment Agencies…
Read MoreVietnam President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has resigned, state media said Tuesday, after days of rumours he was about to be sacked as part of a major anti-corruption drive that has…
Read MoreThailand successfully defended their Asean Championship title after a 1-0 victory over Vietnam in the second leg of the final on Monday gave Mano Polking’s side a 3-2 aggregate triumph against…
Read MoreThe Indonesian government will put more emphasis on women’s empowerment during its ASEAN chairmanship this year, including by setting an agenda on women’s peace and security. The ministry of women…
Read MoreMalaysia, the world’s second-largest palm oil producer, on Thursday said it might stop palm exports to the European Union after the bloc imposed additional import restrictions on the edible oil due to concerns over deforestation. WHAT IS THE DISAGREEMENT ABOUT? Malaysia and Indonesia…
Read MoreA 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit off the coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra island early Monday, the US Geological Survey reported. The epicentre of the quake was 48 kilometres (30 miles) south-southeast of…
Read MoreSeven explosions have been reported since the government announced its decision to begin data collection in order to hold an election this year, according to local news reports. The military-led…
Read MoreIndonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi says that ASEAN will hold two summits this year, in May and September, with the aim of making ASEAN important and relevant to its people….
Read MoreMyanmar’s junta has carried out air strikes on an ethnic armed group’s base near the border with India, the rebels and media said Wednesday, with one bomb landing close to the international boundary. The military coup almost two years ago has sparked renewed fighting…
Read MoreAt least 11 people have died in storms across the Philippines in the past week, with more heavy rain expected in already sodden regions of the disaster-prone country, authorities said Tuesday. Bad weather has plagued…
Read MoreJAKARTA, Jan 8 (Reuters) – A boat with 185 Rohingya refugees landed on the shores of Indonesia’s Aceh province on Sunday, a local disaster agency official said, following hundreds who…
Read MoreTens of thousands of Catholic faithful walked through the streets of Manila early Sunday in reverence of a historic statue of Jesus Christ, which is believed to have miraculous powers….
Read MoreA prisoner was killed and more than 60 wounded after a riot broke out at a Myanmar prison west of Yangon, the junta said on Saturday. Myanmar has been in chaos since Aung San…
Read MoreVietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Binh Minh has lost his position, along with another Deputy Prime Minister, Vu Duc Dam. Neither will serve as members of the Central Party Committee…
Read MoreThe death toll from recent floods and landslides across the disaster-prone Philippines has risen to 51, officials said Monday, as authorities distribute food packs to the hardest hit communities. The…
Read MoreCambodian premier Hun Sen on Monday ordered the creation of conservation zones on the Mekong river to protect critically endangered dolphins, after three were killed by fishing nets and lines last month. The Irrawaddy dolphins, known for…
Read MoreThousands of exhausted passengers on Monday (January 2) remained stranded outside the ageing Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, after a New Year power outage caused hundreds of flight cancellations. “In the 24 hours that we’ve been waiting, we are now…
Read MoreIndonesia, the new ASEAN chair, will hold its first ministerial retreat in early February to discuss the bloc’s agenda and priorities, according to a diplomatic source. The retreat will be…
Read More(VTV) – Many industries in Vietnam are adopting green production methods to maintain and expand their export markets, including the textile industry. Thanks to this industry’s transformation, many domestic enterprises…
Read MoreThe outgoing ASEAN Secretary General, Dato Lim Jock Hoi, says that, despite the achievements of the last five years, the ASEAN community remains at a crossroads. “This is because of…
Read More(AFP) – Ousted Myanmar democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to another seven years in jail as her long series of trials ended on Friday, with the Nobel…
Read MoreAt least 19 people were killed and up to 30 were missing after a huge fire tore through a casino-hotel complex in a Cambodian town on the Thai border, officials…
Read MoreAt least eight people have died and over 130 were injured late Wednesday night in a fire at a Cambodian casino in the border town of Poipet, about 200 metres…
Read MoreThe death toll from Christmas day rains in southern Philippines has risen to 13, authorities said on Tuesday, with the search still on for 23 people as floods started to…
Read MoreIt must be clear today that the Japan with which Southeast Asia has been familiar throughout the post-war years is no longer the same. The past 70 years of a…
Read More(AFP) – Myanmar authorities have arrested more than 110 Rohingya, including children, for travelling “without official documents” as they tried to make their way to Malaysia, state media reported Friday….
Read MoreThe Government of Japan pledges US$2.1m to help migrant children with digital education and food security, to assist their recovery and further safeguard them against sexual abuse, trafficking in persons…
Read MoreThe Philippines’ defence ministry on Thursday ordered the military to strengthen its presence in the South China Sea after monitoring “Chinese activities” in disputed waters close to a strategic Philippine-held…
Read MoreA junta court will hear the final arguments in the 18-month-long trial of Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi next week, a legal source said Tuesday, before reaching its final verdicts against the Nobel laureate….
Read MoreA bomb went off at 6.45pm on December 18th on the busy “Cherry” ferry that transports commuters between Dala Township and the downtown Pansodan Port in Yangon. A passenger on…
Read MoreThailand has invited interested members of ASEAN to join an open-ended consultative meeting on the situation in Myanmar on December 22nd. The informed source, who asked not to be identified…
Read MoreWhile the international community has put in a lot of effort into resolving the political crisis in Myanmar after General Min Aung Hlaing’s coup last year, Thailand in contrast has…
Read MoreDuring Wednesday’s press conference, at the end of a historic ASEAN-EU summit, Samdech Decho Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia, stated unequivocally that the EU should treat all ASEAN members…
Read MorePrime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia has expressed doubts that the crisis in Myanmar would be resolved any time soon and ruled out a third trip there by Foreign Minister Prak…
Read MoreJAKARTA, Dec 12 (Reuters) – Visitors to Bali will not be put at risk by Indonesia’s newly ratified criminal code, the island’s governor said, dismissing concerns that revised laws which…
Read MoreOn November 30th, seven Dagon University students were sentenced to death by Myanmar’s administration. They were arrested in connection with the assassination of retired Lt. Colonel Saw Moe Win. “At…
Read MoreThe United States will downgrade its diplomatic relations with Myanmar upon the departure of its current ambassador, VOA Burmese reported Thursday. It quoted an unidentified diplomatic source as saying that…
Read More(AFP) – Indonesia’s legislation banning sex outside marriage represents a major new threat to the LGBTQ community’s rights in the conservative country, where same-sex unions are not recognised. “It’s another…
Read MoreStrengthening ASEAN-Korea relations is one of Korea’s top foreign policies priorities, as South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol recently unveiled his country’s version of the Indo-Pacific strategy and the Korea-ASEAN Solidarity…
Read MoreCambodia’s Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn will not make a planned third visit to Myanmar as ASEAN’s special envoy, a senior Cambodian official said Tuesday. The Khmer Times reported that Cambodia’s…
Read MoreIndonesia’s parliament on Tuesday approved a criminal code that bans sex outside marriage with a punishment of up to one year in jail, part of a raft of legal changes…
Read MoreThousands of residents in Indonesia‘s East Java were on high alert on Monday after a violent eruption at the island’s tallest volcano prompted authorities to impose an 8-kilometer no-go zone and…
Read MoreNo political party should see themselves representing a single generation and involving more young politicians is necessary to stay relevant in politics, according to panel discussion on the challenges facing…
Read MoreIndonesia’s Mount Semeru erupted Sunday spewing hot ash clouds a mile into the sky and sending rivers of lava down its side, sparking the evacuation of nearly 2,000 people exactly one year after…
Read MoreIndonesian authorities raised the warning on Semeru volcano to the highest level on Sunday, Kompas TV reported, after an eruption spewed a column of ash high into the air. The evacuation of…
Read MoreThai Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and its English website, Thai PBS World, recently gathered journalists and young political leaders from Asia to discuss the challenges they face and the most…
Read MoreMalaysia’s newly-appointed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Friday that he would also serve as the country’s finance minister, retaking a cabinet role he first held 30 years ago as he looks to…
Read MoreMalaysia‘s newly-appointed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will announce his cabinet line–up on Friday, state news agency Bernama reported. The report did not state what time the announcement would be made. Anwar‘s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on…
Read MoreThe Ukraine-Russia conflict, China-Taiwan tensions or even the situation in Myanmar may seem far away and irrelevant to us in Thailand. Most Thais wouldn’t imagine that Thailand foreign policy has…
Read MoreThe death toll from the devastating earthquake in Indonesia’s province of West Java rose to 318, with 14 others still missing, a senior official of the country’s disaster agency said…
Read MoreOne question that has arisen almost right after opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was appointed Malaysia’s prime minister last week is what role he wants Kuala Lumpur to play in helping…
Read MoreFirst, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim must be congratulated for being the 10th leader of Malaysia since independence. His patience and fighting spirit have paid off, after nearly 22 years as…
Read MoreIndonesian authorities struggled on Thursday to get aid to thousands of evacuees displaced by a deadly earthquake in western Java, as rain-triggered landslides and difficult mountainous terrain hampered the efforts…
Read MoreMalaysia‘s king appointed long-time opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister on Thursday and he will be sworn in at 5 p.m. (0900 GMT), ending five days of unprecedented post-election…
Read MoreMalaysia‘s king said on Tuesday he will pick the next prime minister, after the leading two contenders failed to win a majority in last weekend’s election and his proposal for…
Read More(AFP) – The death toll from an earthquake on Indonesia’s main island of Java jumped to 268 on Tuesday, as rescuers searched for survivors in the rubble and relatives started…
Read MoreCIANJUR, Indonesia (Reuters) – A powerful earthquake killed more than 160 people in Indonesia’s West Java province on Monday, with rescuers searching for survivors trapped under the rubble amid a…
Read MoreJAKARTA, Nov 21 (Reuters) – A 5.6-magnitude earthquake killed more than 50 people and injured hundreds in Indonesia’s West Java province on Monday, with rescuers trying to reach survivors trapped…
Read MoreKUALA LUMPUR, Nov 20 (Reuters) – Malaysia’s political leaders were scrambling to form a coalition government on Sunday after an election produced an unprecedented hung parliament, with no group able…
Read MoreMalaysia was facing a hung parliament for the first time in its history as support for a conservative Islamic alliance prevented major coalitions from winning a simple majority in a general election. Without a clear winner, political uncertainty could…
Read MoreMany Malaysians in southern Thailand returned home yesterday (Friday) to cast their votes in a general election, after Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob dissolved parliament on October 10th. The…
Read MoreKUALA LUMPUR, Nov 19 (Reuters) – Malaysians were voting in a closely run general election on Saturday, a contest that may not end years of political instability as polls point…
Read MoreThailand is expecting the leaders of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) members to endorse the Bangkok Goals 2022 during the summit this weekend, which aims to move the region towards…
Read MoreMyanmar’s military said Thursday it will release almost 6,000 prisoners, including a former British ambassador, a Japanese journalist and an Australian economics adviser, in a rare olive branch from the isolated junta. The Southeast Asian country has been…
Read MoreIn a dining hall at Malaysia’s International Islamic University, 22-year-old undergraduate Hajar Wahab stood next to a makeshift polling booth, as she showed a fellow student how to mark and…
Read MoreCambodia’s Foreign Affairs Minister and ASEAN special envoy Prak Sokhonn is planning a third official visit to Myanmar in a bid to prod the ruling military junta to comply with…
Read MoreMalaysia does not support elections that Myanmar military junta plans for next year, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah said Tuesday. Malaysian news agency Bernama quoted the foreign minister as…
Read MoreVietnamese President Nguyen Xuân Phúc will become the first APEC leader to arrive in Bangkok and will be paying an official on November 16th, ahead of the Asia Pacific Economic…
Read MoreThai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has proposed a comprehensive strategic partnership between ASEAN and the United States in the areas of economic development and climate change, as well as a…
Read MoreSoutheast Asian heads of government were due to hold talks on Saturday with visiting global leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, as the region tries to navigate the growing rivalry…
Read MoreUN chief Antonio Guterres on Saturday urged the Myanmar junta to “immediately” restart democracy, saying it was the only way to stop the “unending nightmare” engulfing the country. Myanmar has spiralled into bloody conflict since the military…
Read MoreASEAN leaders have reaffirmed their 5-point consensus (5PC) and urged Myanmar to comply with the promises it made last April. In a joint statement, issued today (Friday), the leaders said…
Read MorePHNOM PENH, Nov 11 (Reuters) – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has agreed in principle to admit East Timor as the group’s 11th member, the bloc said in…
Read MorePrime Minister Prayut Chan-o–cha and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen on Thursday pledged to step up cooperation to crack down on call center scams using Cambodia as their operation base….
Read More(AFP) – Despite Vietnam’s solar boom and ambitious climate targets, the fast-growing economy is struggling to quit dirty energy — leaving one of the world’s biggest coal power programmes largely…
Read More(AFP) – Indonesia’s economic growth accelerated in the third quarter of 2022 on the back of strong exports and domestic consumption, official data showed on Monday, but it remained below…
Read MoreCambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has formally announced the agenda for the upcoming ASEAN Summit and related high-level meetings to be held in Phnom Penh from November 10-13. Meanwhile, the…
Read MoreKUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 (Reuters) – Malaysian political leaders began their election campaigning on Saturday for what is set to be a close race, with incumbent Prime Minister Ismail Sabri…
Read MorePhnom Penh – India’s comprehensive strategic partnership (CSP) with ASEAN is expected grow and strengthen bilateral ties, according to a senior Cambodian official. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Minister Delegate attached…
Read MoreJAKARTA, Nov 3 (Reuters) – G20 summit host Indonesia is waiting to see if Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend, Indonesia’s foreign minister said on Thursday, adding that differences over…
Read MorePhnom Penh – Both the US and India will be granted “comprehensive strategic partnership” (CSP) status at next week’s ASEAN-related summits, signalling the increased importance of their all-round cooperation with…
Read MoreCambodia has offered to use the upcoming ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh next week to host talks between Russia and Ukraine, according to a senior official of the Cambodian Foreign…
Read MoreJudging by the outcome of the special ASEAN foreign ministerial meeting in Jakarta on October 27th, the ASEAN foreign ministers have not done their jobs very well. They were supposed…
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