JAKARTA, Jan 15 (Reuters) – Indonesia reported 1,054 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, the highest daily increase in three months, as the government braces for a new wave of coronavirus…
Read More
JAKARTA, Jan 15 (Reuters) – Indonesia reported 1,054 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, the highest daily increase in three months, as the government braces for a new wave of coronavirus…
Read More
Yangon (AFP) – A Myanmar junta court has hit ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi with five new corruption charges related to the alleged hiring and purchase of a…
Read More
SINGAPORE, Jan 15 (Reuters) – Singapore’s leader said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should continue excluding Myanmar’s junta from its meeting until it cooperates on an agreed peace…
Read More
Cambodia said on Wednesday it had postponed a meeting of foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) scheduled for next week, because some ministers had expressed “difficulties”…
Read More
Myanmar’s Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin will attend the ASEAN ministerial retreat in Siem Reap on January 18-19 in person, according to a highly placed source. The source said that…
Read More
On January 7th, 2022, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen became the first national leader to visit Myanmar’s junta chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. Before Hun Sen even set foot…
Read More
Japan has launched multi-pronged initiatives aimed at promoting ASEAN-Japan relations, taking it from a development to a co-creation partner, according to Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Koichi Hagiuda….
Read More
Yangon (AFP) – A Myanmar junta court on Monday convicted Aung San Suu Kyi of three criminal charges, sentencing her to four years in prison in the latest in a slew of…
Read More
MANILA, Jan 9 (Reuters) – The Philippines ordered an increase in hospital beds and medical resources in and around the capital Manila, a senior government official said on Sunday, as…
Read More
The military junta in Naypyidaw has asked the country’s resistance forces to join ceasefire talks and to work together to deliver effective humanitarian assistance to the needy people of Myanmar….
Read More
Cambodia’s strongman ruler Hun Sen arrives in Myanmar Friday for talks with the junta — the first foreign leader to visit since the generals seized power almost a year ago….
Read More
ASEAN senior officials have endorsed Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn as the new ASEAN special envoy, according to a highly placed source. The source said that…
Read More
Myanmar, a nation which was much touted to be the final frontier of South East Asia for its underdeveloped and unexplored industries, experienced a tumultuous 2021. The coup The nation…
Read More
JAKARTA, Jan 3 (Reuters) – Indonesia will begin giving COVID-19 booster shots to the general public from January 12, health minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Monday, as the Omicron…
Read More
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 29 (Reuters) – Malaysia will provide 1.4 billion ringgit ($334.93 million) in cash aid and other forms of relief for those devastated by severe floods this month,…
Read More
After nearly eight months held on remand, the BBC Burmese service reported on Monday that actor Paing Takhon has been sentenced to three years in a labour camp for participating…
Read More
The new United Nations special envoy to Myanmar on Monday said she was “deeply concerned” by escalating violence in the country and called for a new year ceasefire between the…
Read More
Save the Children said two of its Myanmar staff were missing on Saturday, after the charred remains of more than 30 people were found, in an attack a monitoring group and local media blamed on junta troops. Myanmar has been in chaos since the February coup,…
Read More
All the Karen refugees being sheltered at a Thai school in Mae Tao sub-district, in the western province of Tak, have been moved further inland, to a village in Mahawan…
Read More
PHNOM PENH, Dec 24 (Reuters) – Cambodia’s longtime ruling party voted to endorse Prime Minister Hun Sen’s eldest son as “future prime minister” on Friday but did not specify when…
Read More
BANGKOK, Dec 24 (Reuters) – Myanmar’s military carried out more airstrikes on a rebel-controlled area near the Thai border, the rebel group said on Friday, in the latest escalation of…
Read More
At least 70 people were missing and one confirmed dead on Wednesday following a landslide at a jade mine in northern Myanmar, a member of the rescue team told AFP….
Read More
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed local officials in Thailand’s western border province of Tak to provide humanitarian aid and temporary shelter to about 4,000 people fleeing the fighting in…
Read More
Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob is scheduled to make an official visit to Thailand, from December 28th to 30th, according to an informed government source. The…
Read More
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck the Lao PDR at 4.06am local time, with its epicentre at a depth of about 10 kilometres, was reported by the Earthquake Observation Division of…
Read More
Manila (AFP) – The death toll from the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year has surged to 208, the national police said Monday, making it one of the deadliest…
Read More
More than 100 people have been killed in the strongest typhoon to hit the Philippines this year, official tallies showed Sunday, as efforts to deliver water and food to devastated…
Read More
More than 30,000 people were evacuated from their homes in Malaysia on Sunday as the country battles some of its worst flooding in years. The tropical Southeast Asian nation often…
Read More
The Thai military lodged a protest note with the Myanmar government, via the local Thai-Myanmar Border Committee (TBC) yesterday (Thursday), over the landing of a mortar-type shell on Thai soil…
Read More
Dapa, Philippines (AFP) – Thousands of people in the Philippines fled their homes and beachfront resorts as super typhoon Rai slammed into the country Thursday, with a charity warning the storm could…
Read More
Vietnam has come a long way since it began its “Doi Moi” (renewal) 35 years ago. Now, fresh from serving as a two-year non-permanent member of United Nations Security Council,…
Read More
Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday said he will appoint his country’s foreign minister, Prak Sokhonn, to be the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ special envoy to Myanmar, beginning January…
Read More
US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has cut his Southeast Asian tour short and cancelled appointments in Thailand tomorrow (Thursday), over COVID-19 concerns following a confirmed COVID-19 infection in…
Read More
(AP) — A local freelance photojournalist in Myanmar has died in military custody after being arrested last week while covering protests, colleagues and a friend of his family said Tuesday….
Read More
Manila (AFP) – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday withdrew his candidacy for the 2022 Senate race, the government elections monitor said, a month after he made a last-minute entry into…
Read More
Jakarta (AFP) – A 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Indonesia on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said, with monitors briefly warning of the possibility of hazardous tsunami waves before lifting the threat….
Read More
(AP) — Myanmar government troops raided a small northwestern village, rounding up civilians, binding their hands and then burning them alive in apparent retaliation for an attack on a military…
Read More
A Malaysian court on Wednesday upheld former premier Najib Razak’s conviction on corruption charges over a multi-billion dollar scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), dealing a blow to…
Read More
Los Angeles (AFP) – Rohingya refugees sued Facebook on Monday for $150 billion over claims the social network is failing to stem hate speech on its platform, exacerbating violence against the…
Read More
Myanmar’s Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin will fly to Cambodia’s capital tomorrow (Tuesday) to pay a one-day courtesy call on the new ASEAN chair, according to an informed but unnamed…
Read More
BANGKOK (AP) — A special court in Myanmar’s capital sentenced the country’s ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, to four years in prison on Monday after finding her guilty of…
Read More
The death toll from a sudden, spectacular eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Semeru has risen to 13, disaster officials said Sunday, as rescuers searched villages blanketed in molten ash for survivors….
Read More
Thailand’s House committee, tasked with scrutinising a bill against torture and enforced disappearances, has cried foul over Tuesday night’s arrest and defrocking of a monk by Thai immigration police, prior…
Read More
(AP) — A court in Myanmar postponed its verdict on Tuesday in the trial of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi to allow testimony from an additional witness. The court…
Read More
Manila (AFP) – The Philippines has temporarily suspended a decision to allow fully vaccinated tourists entry in a bid to prevent a new, heavily mutated coronavirus variant taking off in the…
Read More
Singapore and Malaysia re-opened one of the world’s busiest land borders on Monday, allowing vaccinated travellers to make the crossing after nearly two years of closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The sudden…
Read More
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) – Cambodian former prime minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh, the current king’s half-brother, who spent his later years in the political shadow of his one-time rival Prime Minister Hun Sen, has died in France….
Read More
A new $6 billion Chinese-built railway line opens in Laos this week, bringing hopes of an economic boost to the reclusive nation, but experts are questioning the benefits of a…
Read More
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, in his capacity as ASEAN Coordinator, said at the 13th Asia-Europe (ASEM) Summit hosted by Cambodia today (Thursday) that Thailand believes that multilateralism is the…
Read More
Cambodia will be hosting the two-day Asia-Europe (ASEM) summit later this week, focusing on the post-COVID-19 socio-economic recovery and strengthening multilateralism. The chair has not invited Myanmar’s Senior General Min…
Read More
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, on Tuesday issued a statement deploring Thailand’s deportation of a Cambodian refugee, which occurred only ten days after the authorities deported two other Cambodian refugees….
Read More
Attending the ASEAN-China summit for the first time in the three decades of their relations this morning, China’s President Xi Jinping made a strong impression on the ASEAN leaders in…
Read More
BEIJING, Nov 22 (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping told leaders of the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at a summit on Monday that Beijing would not “bully”…
Read More
21 people have drowned, as thousands of worshippers attempted to cross a flooded causeway in Myanmar, after making merit at a Buddhist pagoda. The incident occurred as thousands of people…
Read More
Myanmar’s military leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, will not be invited to attend the special virtual ASEAN-China summit, commemorating the 30th anniversary of their relationship, on November 22nd, according…
Read More
Just a few days after being sentenced to 11 years in prison, American journalist Danny Fenster was freed to go home. It was the first clear indication that Naypyidaw is…
Read More
MANILA, Nov 16 (Reuters) – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter agreed on Tuesday to be running mate of Ferdinand Marcos Jr in next year’s presidential election, her spokesperson said, confirming…
Read More
Yangon (AFP) – Myanmar’s junta has charged ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi with committing electoral fraud during the 2020 polls, state media reported Tuesday. Myanmar has been in turmoil since a…
Read More
Of the many artists and entertainers arrested in the months following the February coup in Myanmar, one of the best-known faces is the rising star Paing Takhon. A model, an…
Read More
(AP) — Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Bill Richardson says American journalist Danny Fenster has been released from prison in Myanmar. Richardson said in a statement Monday that Fenster…
Read More
PHNOM PENH, Nov 14 (Reuters) – Cambodia will stop requiring quarantine for travellers who have been vaccinated for COVID-19 starting on Monday, Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Sunday. The…
Read More
HANOI (AFP): The first international tourists touched down in Vietnam almost 20 months after the Southeast Asian nation closed its borders to contain the coronavirus. Two charter flights brought more…
Read More
On Friday, Thailand formally took over the rotating chairmanship from New Zealand of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) for 2022, with its theme “Open. Connect. Balance.” To symbolise the handover, New…
Read More
(Reuters) – A court in military-ruled Myanmar on Friday jailed American journalist Danny Fenster for 11 years, his lawyer and his employer said, despite U.S. calls for his release from what it said…
Read More
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and Chinese President Xi Jinping will co-chair the special ASEAN-China summit, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of their bilateral relations, on November 22nd. It will be their…
Read More
Myanmar’s junta has charged a US journalist detained since May with sedition and terrorism, which carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, his lawyer said Wednesday. The military has squeezed…
Read More
The Thai cabinet today approved Thailand’s bid to join ASEAN-Canada FTA talks, in the hope of opening a trade gateway to North America. The cabinet agreed to let Thailand participate…
Read More
MANILA, Nov 9 (Reuters) – The daughter of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday removed herself from the running for mayor of Davao City, just days away from a deadline…
Read More
The United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss arrived in Bangkok today (Tuesday) to forge closer bilateral ties with Thailand and to develop the UK’s wider role in Southeast Asia, as…
Read More
SINGAPORE, Nov 8 (Reuters) – Singapore and Malaysia will allow quarantine-free travel between both countries for individuals vaccinated against COVID-19, they said in a joint statement on Monday. The two…
Read More
BANGKOK – A united ideology can elevate ASEAN to better manage superpower rivalry, regional crises and meet the aspirations of its citizens, said two Thai regional experts. Both Kasit Piromya,…
Read More
A secondary school dropout and the son-in-law of a family of four generations of bean sprout farmers, invents an automatic bean sprout growing machine to help with the hardships of…
Read More
“Cryptocurrency” is technical jargon and gibberish to many people, even in this modern age of technological innovation. While it seemed far more mystical when Bitcoin, the progenitor of encrypted peer-to-peer…
Read More
Win Htein, a senior aide to Myanmar’s ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Friday on charges of high treason, media and one…
Read More
PHNOM PENH, Oct 28 (Reuters) – Cambodia, the incoming chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), will push Myanmar’s military rulers to open dialogue with its opponents, its…
Read More
WASHINGTON/BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Reuters) – President Joe Biden told Southeast Asian nations on Wednesday the United States would stand with them in defending freedom of the seas and democracy and called China‘s actions towards Taiwan “coercive” and a threat to…
Read More
Thailand’s re-opening to vaccinated foreign tourists marks a major easing of border controls for Asia, where governments have been far slower to roll back coronavirus travel curbs than in much…
Read More
WASHINGTON/BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden joined Southeast Asian leaders for a virtual summit on Tuesday, the first time in four years that Washington has engaged at the top level with a…
Read More
Southeast Asian leaders begin their annual summit on Tuesday without Myanmar military leader Min Aung Hlaing, who overthrew a civilian government on Feb. 1, in a rare exclusion for the…
Read More
In his speech, on the first day of the 39th ASEAN Summit via a video conference this morning (Tuesday), Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha urged other leaders of the Association…
Read More
Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei (AFP) – Southeast Asian leaders kicked off an ASEAN summit Tuesday but Myanmar refused to send a representative after being angered by the bloc’s decision to exclude the…
Read More
Myanmar’s junta threatened on Monday to skip an ASEAN summit after the bloc said the country’s military chief could not attend over doubts about the government’s commitment to defusing a bloody crisis. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the generals ousted civilian…
Read More
Myanmar’s military rulers pledged on Sunday to cooperate “as much as possible” with a peace plan agreed with ASEAN, despite a stern rebuke of the regional bloc for excluding the…
Read MoreVietnam plans to reopen the resort island of Phu Quoc to vaccinated foreign visitors in late November, authorities said, as the country looks to reboot its tourism industry after almost…
Read More
The Indonesian government has officially cut the quarantine period from eight days to five days, following the Circular of the Covid-19 Task Force Number 20 of 2021 concerning International Travel…
Read More
Myanmar is a country which has been plagued by troubles throughout its history, but it prospered quickly after the 2015 election, which saw the first democratically elected government come into…
Read More
Myanmar’s junta government has decided to release prisoners and cancel arrest warrants issued against thousands of people just days after ASEAN announced that it will exclude Myanmar’s representative from future…
Read More
Yangon (AFP) – Myanmar will release more than 5,000 people jailed for protesting against a February coup which ousted the civilian government, the country’s junta chief said Monday. A total…
Read More
Oct 18 (Reuters) – Myanmar’s shadow government, formed by opponents of ruling military, welcomed on Monday the exclusion of junta leader Min Aung Hlaing from an upcoming regional summit, but…
Read More
MANILA, Oct 3 (Reuters) – Hundreds of animal lovers in the Philippines had their pets blessed via a drive–through ceremony on Sunday to mark World Animal Day and the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron…
Read More
In the strongest sign of its frustration with the continuing crisis in Myanmar, ASEAN foreign ministers have decided not to invite the country’s junta leader Gen Min Aung Hlaing to…
Read More
Brunei said on Saturday a non-political representative from Myanmar will be invited to an upcoming summit of leaders from Southeast Asian countries this month, effectively sidelining the leader of a…
Read More
Yangon (AFP) – The chief lawyer for ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi said Friday he had been banned by the junta from speaking to journalists, diplomats or international organisations….
Read More
More than 2,400 vaccinated travelers from eight countries like the UK, France, and the US are now approved to enter Singapore without quarantine, from next Tuesday. Applications under these new…
Read More
Thailand’s Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) is 0.002, the lowest among all the ASEAN countries, according to a new report released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford…
Read More
MANILA (Reuters) – Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s office on Monday congratulated journalist Maria Ressa for winning the Nobel Peace Prize, calling it “a victory for a Filipina” for which it was happy to…
Read More
Myanmar’s envoy to the United Nations, Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, has vowed to continue in the post and to carry on seeking international support for democratization of his home country….
Read More
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The son and namesake of Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who was toppled in a 1986 pro-democracy uprising, registered his candidacy Wednesday for next year’s presidential elections,…
Read More
It becomes clearer by the day that Myanmar’s military regime, headed by Senior Gen Min Aung Hlaing, is moving painfully slowly towards the implementation of the five-point consensus agreed in…
Read More
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…
Read More