Vu Khoan, a man who ushered Vietnam into ASEAN

This writer vividly remember the last quarter of 1994, when former Vietnamese foreign minister Vu Khoan and his team visited the Jakarta-based ASEAN Secretariat. He was on an important mission,…

Read More

Health innovations advanced with ‘Early Health Technology Assessment’

Early Health Technology Assessment, or early HTA, is a tool that can help health innovations to meet the needs of the global health system. The approach was utilized by World…

Read More

Singapore gears up for first ever Olympics Esports Week

Siti Zhywee is far from the stereotypical image of a gamer: unhealthy and isolated, wiling away hours glued to a screen. The 38-year-old mother of two is a dance fitness…

Read More

Prayut government’s undiplomatic meeting on Myanmar shows Thailand in a bad light

The informal meeting arranged by Thailand’s caretaker government on the Myanmar crisis has only provided a comfort zone for the junta across the border, but dealt a blow to Thailand’s…

Read More
Myanmar refugees at a shelter in Mae Hong Son province.

Pita voices support for ASEAN-led peace efforts for Myanmar

Mover Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat on Tuesday reaffirmed his support for ASEAN centrality in resolving the crisis in Myanmar, in what is seen as an attempt to distance himself…

Read More
Homes are seen near the permanent danger zone surrounding Mayon volcano at Bonga village, Albay province, northeastern Philippines, on June 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Poor villagers risk their lives in danger zone as Philippines’ most active volcano erupts

Delfina Guiwan’s heart was pounding as she snuck back to her village, now abandoned and eerily quiet, in the fertile foothills of gently erupting Mayon volcano in the northeastern Philippines….

Read More

Improved US-China relations have impacts on ASEAN

The visit of US State Secretary Antony Blinken to Beijing has yielded indirect results, especially for anxious regional countries. Both the US and China have yet to reveal what they…

Read More

Foreign Minister insists informal Myanmar talks are in Thailand’s interest

On Sunday, Thailand’s Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai defended his country’s hosting of peace talks, which the foreign minister of Myanmar’s ruling junta is attending, which will be shunned by key…

Read More

Survival of Online Media: Transforming the Business Model 

Despite the various degrees of content limitation and changes Southeast Asia media are facing, all online media in the region, and probably globally, are now struggling financially. As social media…

Read More

Key ASEAN members skip Thai-hosted Myanmar talks amid criticism

Thailand’s caretaker government hosted the foreign minister of Myanmar‘s ruling junta at informal regional peace talks on Sunday, as key Southeast Asian counterparts stayed away from the meeting that has drawn sharp criticism. Only Cambodia has so far…

Read More
This picture shows a vacant chair for the Myanmar delegation during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Labuan Bajo on May 9, 2023. (Photo by AFP)

Myanmar FM to attend informal crisis talks in Bangkok

Myanmar on Saturday confirmed the country’s foreign minister would attend controversial “informal talks” in Bangkok on the coup-hit country’s political crisis, as Singapore warned that conditions were not yet right…

Read More

Singapore says ‘premature’ for ASEAN talks with Myanmar

Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said Friday that conditions were not yet right for ASEAN to open high-level talks with Myanmar on the country’s political situation. “We believe it would…

Read More

ASEAN and Gulf Cooperation Council to hold the summit in October

After more than two decades of relations, ASEAN and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) will reportedly hold their first summit in Jakarta in October. An informed source said that this…

Read More

Vietnam’s power crisis hits local firms, foreign investors

An intensely hot summer and unprecedented drought are straining energy supplies in northern Vietnam, prompting rolling blackouts and sudden power outages that have led to “uncountable” losses among local firms…

Read More

Pita to propose Chiang Mai as ASEAN centre for solving PM2.5 problem

Move Forward party leader Pita Limjaroenrat says he will propose Chiang Mai as ASEAN’s centre for solving the PM2.5 dust problem and the party will push a clean air act…

Read More
[FILE] Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen (L) walks with Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the closing ceremony of the 40th and 41st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summits in Phnom Penh on November 13, 2022. (Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP)

Canada to become a strategic partner of ASEAN

ASEAN and Canada will hold a summit in September to commemorate Canada’s new status as a strategic dialogue partner of ASEAN, according to an informed source. After a long delay,…

Read More

Indonesia to host high-level ASEAN Indo-Pacific Forum

Indonesia, the current ASEAN chair, will host the first high-level ASEAN Indo-Pacific Forum, alongside the ASEAN-related summits, on September 6th and 7th, according to an informed source. The forum is…

Read More

Singaporeans with dementia find their groove at silent disco

Under flashing disco lights, residents at a Singapore care home held hands and danced to golden oldies as part of an initiative to help those with dementia. They grooved to…

Read More

Indonesia accuses EU of ‘regulatory imperialism’ with deforestation law

Indonesia sees the European Union as conducting “regulatory imperialism” with its new deforestation law, but both sides would still engage in talks on a free trade deal, an Indonesian minister…

Read More

What’s the state of Philippine human rights under Marcos?

When Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos was swept to power in 2022, human rights activists feared the worst. Marcos had been a vocal supporter of his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war…

Read More

Move Forward’s foreign policy raises concerns about US leverage in Thailand

Concerns over potential US influence on politics in Thailand arose after the Move Forward party announced its foreign policy, aiming to ‘’Revive, Rebalance, Recalibrate’’ in the hope of having more…

Read More
Fuadi Pitsuwan

More active ASEAN role, balanced ties with superpowers expected under Pita

A new government under the leadership of Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat will see Thailand play a more active role in ASEAN and on the international stage,  according to…

Read More

Myanmar puts troops on alert after Pita’s statements

Myanmar’s second-most powerful general has issued a directive to his commanders to keep a closer watch on the Thai-Myanmar border after Thailand’s Move Forward Party won the most House seats…

Read More
Supporters of the Candlelight Party (CP) shout slogans from a vehicle during a rally on the last day of campaigning for the commune elections in Phnom Penh on June 3, 2022. (Photo by TANG CHHIN Sothy / AFP)

Main Cambodia opposition party excluded from July polls

Cambodia’s election body on Monday refused to register the main opposition party and chief challenger to Prime Minister Hun Sen for upcoming national elections. The National Election Committee said in…

Read More

Vietnam pledges no new coal plants after 2030

Vietnam will not develop new coal power plants after 2030, according to a long-delayed national power plan published Tuesday, although the blueprint drew criticism that the transition to renewables is…

Read More
Rohingya women sit and stand in their destroyed house at Basara refugee camp in Sittwe on May 16, 2023, after cyclone Mocha made a landfall. (Photo by SAI Aung MAIN / AFP)

Cyclone Mocha death toll rises to 81 in Myanmar

The death toll in cyclone-hit Myanmar rose to at least 81 on Tuesday, according to local leaders, officials and state media, as villagers tried to piece together ruined homes and…

Read More

Philippines places buoys in parts of South China Sea to assert sovereignty

The Philippines has placed navigational buoys within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) to assert sovereignty over the disputed Spratly islands in the South China Sea, a government official said on…

Read More
Image courtesy: ASEAN

ASEAN leaders agree to work on the bloc’s vision for 2045

ASEAN leaders have recommended that ASEAN experts come up with a robust and inspirational vision for the next 20 years, according to the ASEAN chairman’s statement issued yesterday (Thursday). The…

Read More
Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, Jr, Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thailand’s Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Laos Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and East Timor’s Prime Minister Jose Maria de Vasconcelos, known as Taur Matan Ruak, pose during a photo session during opening 42nd ASEAN Summit Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, May 10, 2023. Akbar Nugroho Gumay/Pool via REUTERS

Three more nations accede to ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation

Three more countries will accede to the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) this year, according to the ASEAN chairman’s statement released this afternoon (Thursday). Saudi Arabia, Spain and…

Read More
Indonesia President Joko Widodo delivers his speech during the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, May 10, 2023. Achmad Ibrahim/Pool via REUTERS

ASEAN must show unity to tackle Myanmar’s escalating crisis, Indonesia president says

Myanmar’s ruling military has made no significant progress on implementing a peace plan agreed with ASEAN two years ago and the bloc must show unity in deciding how to address…

Read More
A chair for the Myanmar delegation is left empty during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting ahead of the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia, May 9, 2023. / REUTERS

Myanmar shadow govt welcomes ASEAN peace talks but distrusts junta

Myanmar’s shadow government welcomes efforts by ASEAN chair Indonesia to kickstart peace talks in the strife-torn Southeast Asian nation but is deeply distrustful of the junta that took power in a 2021 coup,…

Read More
Photo by Asean Secretariat website

ASEAN welcomes friendly Japan-ROK ties

The region’s two economic giants’ recent steps on the road to recovery, in terms of their friendship and cooperation, come as welcome news for ASEAN members as their leaders gather…

Read More

Bringing reading back for kids in Myanmar with Kiki’s Fantastic Adventure

With the goal of reminding children of the value of books, an original story has been published called Kiki’s Fantastic Adventure by Studio Boba. The creator decided that the comic-manga…

Read More

Indonesia, Singapore condemn ‘shootout’ involving ASEAN officials in Myanmar

Indonesia and Singapore condemned an attack against a convoy including Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) officials delivering humanitarian aid in Myanmar and called for an end to violence in…

Read More

Vietnam to require social media users to verify identity

Vietnam is preparing to make it mandatory for social media users of both local and foreign platforms to verify their identity in a bid to rein in online scams, state…

Read More

Vietnam boosts rare earths output by tenfold – data

Vietnam‘s mined output of rare earths soared tenfold last year, U.S. data showed, as global firms have flocked to the Southeast Asian country with the world’s second largest estimated deposits…

Read More
FILE / Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha speaks during the handover ceremony at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Bangkok on November 19, 2022. / AFP

PM Prayut to skip upcoming ASEAN-related summit

Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will not attend the ASEAN-related summit next week, according to an informed source. The source said that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai…

Read More

Singapore to post slower economic growth this year

Singapore is expected to post slower economic growth this year but it “should avoid an outright contraction”, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Sunday. The Southeast Asian city-state’s economic performance…

Read More
A man carrying his son walks with an umbrella during a heatwave in Yangon on April 19, 2023. / AFP

2023 set be the hottest year on record in Myanmar

This year is likely to go down as Myanmar’s hottest year so far, as temperatures in at least 10 cities have broken 40oC, according to figures released by the meteorological…

Read More

Jakarta mosque leads the way on renewable energy

Jakarta’s Grand Istiqlal Mosque is busy with worshippers this Ramadan. This year they are being encouraged to donate to boost the mosque’s green credentials. A major renovation in 2019 installed…

Read More

Singapore to build new sports facilities for all ages

Singapore to build two new sports facilities in a young Chua Chu Kang estate, with an emphasis on activities for all ages. The aim is to build a more inclusive…

Read More
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at a news conference at the US Embassy Annex in Hanoi on April 15, 2023. (Photo by Andrew Harnik / POOL / AFP)

US and Vietnam pledge to boost ties during Blinken visit to Hanoi

The United States and Vietnam said Saturday they hoped to upgrade diplomatic ties, days after a flare-up in tensions with China over Taiwan. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, passing…

Read More

ASEAN “strongly condemns” deadly air strike in Myanmar

The chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) said on Thursday the bloc “strongly condemns” a military air strike this week on a village in Myanmar, which is…

Read More

Last group of refugees from Myanmar repatriated

The last group of 89 refugees, who fled the recent fighting in Myanmar near the Thailand’s western border, has been sent back to their homeland by the Thai army. Maj-Gen…

Read More

Myanmar confirms deadly air strike as international outcry mounts

Myanmar’s ruling junta has confirmed that it carried out an air strike on a village in which dozens of people were reported killed, drawing condemnation from the United Nations and…

Read More

Cambodia deports 19 scam suspects to Japan

Cambodia deported 19 Japanese nationals suspected of involvement in organised phone and online scams to Japan on Tuesday (April 11), Cambodian police said. The Japanese nationals, all male, were detained…

Read More

Thai, Myanmar and Lao PMs to cooperate more closely on cross-border haze

The leaders of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar agree that the three ASEAN countries must cooperate closely and within the ASEAN framework to cope more effectively with the transboundary haze problem…

Read More

ADB says developing Asia’s growth to accelerate after China reopening

The Asian Development Bank raised its 2023 growth forecast for developing Asia on Tuesday, after China’s abrupt loosening of Covid-19 restrictions and reopening of its borders brightened the region’s prospects….

Read More
Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, the first Cambodian Secretary-General of ASEAN

ASEAN’s position on Myanmar through the eyes of its Secretary General

The search for solutions to Myanmar’s problems must be led by Myanmar through Myanmar’s processes, said Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, the first Cambodian Secretary-General of ASEAN, during his recent official…

Read More

Thailand seeks cooperation from neighbours to address cross border pollution

Thailand is seeking cooperation from neighbouring countries to address cross-border air pollution, which is seriously impacting the northern provinces of Thailand. Spokesperson for the Thai Foreign Ministry, Kanchana Patarachoke, said…

Read More
Rohingya refugees walk a “Go home campaign” rally demanding repatriation at Kutupalong Rohingya camp in Cox’s Bazar on June 19, 2022. (Photo by Tanbir MIRAJ / AFP)

HRW urges Bangladesh to halt Rohingya repatriation plan

Human Rights Watch on urged Bangladesh to suspend plans to repatriate Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, warning conditions there would not be safe for the persecuted and stateless minority.  Bangladesh is…

Read More

Many ASEAN meetings and negotiations go unreported – ASEAN Sec Gen

Many ASEAN meetings have gone unreported, but that does not mean officials are not working, according to the secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, during the “Why ASEAN Matters:…

Read More

China’s first river port of entry for Mekong riparian countries opened on Monday

A Mekong River port in southwest China’s Yunnan province was officially opened on Monday. It will serve as a gateway to boost trade between China and ASEAN countries, especially Thailand,…

Read More

ASEAN Community extends its post 2025 vision to 2045

The High-level Task Force for the ASEAN Community’s Post 2025 vision (HLTF-ACV) has agreed to increase its time frame, according to ASEAN Secretary General Dr. Kao Kim Hourn. In his…

Read More

New program to boost sustainable food and health systems in ASEAN

The United Nations just announced a program, in corporation with the European Union and Thailand, including the Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA) and the Ministry of Public Health, to push…

Read More
Senator Upakit Pachariyangkun

Thai senator’s link to Myanmar arms dealer jolts Thai justice system

Thailand’s justice system was forced to swing into damage control mode after a series of disclosures pointed to senior judges and police officers attempting to spare a senator prosecution for…

Read More

ASEAN’s Kao Kim Hourn to visit Thailand later this month

ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn will pay a three-day official visit to Thailand, from 29th to 31st March, as part of his familiarisation tour of the bloc’s member countries,…

Read More

Singapore uses geospatial data to make roads greener, safer, and easier to navigate

Location information is being used to make Singapore’s roads greener, safer, and easier to navigate. Using geospatial data to improve people’s lives is here to stay, as the Singapore Land…

Read More

Japan aims to become ASEAN’s 6th comprehensive strategic partner

Japan plans to apply for ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership (CSP) status, according to highly placed sources, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Japan and ASEAN Relations this year. Japan earlier…

Read More

Chip equipment maker ASML’s suppliers eye Asia plants outside China amid tensions

Suppliers to Dutch chip-making machines giant ASML Holding NV ASML.AS are considering building plants in Southeast Asia instead of China amid political tensions between Beijing and the West, according to two sources…

Read More

We are the ‘Zs’ – The inspiring ASEAN New Generation documentary series screening

The voices, dreams and passions of the young, whose intersectionality creates desire for change in our current world, as told in a six part documentary series. On Mar 8th, 2023,…

Read More

Twin moms teach hope to marginalised children in Indonesia

In bright pink dresses and flashy straw hats, septuagenarian Indonesian twins Sri Irianingsih and Sri Rossyati strolled through rows of desks as students attentively wrote on workbooks. Known by students,…

Read More

Thai National Environment Board to discuss forest fire and haze problems

Thailand’s National Environment Board will meet on March 15th to consider the forest fire and haze problems, after the Office of the ASEAN Secretary-General sent a “Second Level Alert” to…

Read More
A woman poses with the newly set up logo of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as Indonesia officially assumes the group’s chairmanship following a ceremony in Jakarta on January 29, 2023. Goh Chai Hin / AFP

ASEAN will issue “Bali Concord 4” at its year-end summit

As has happened during previous Indonesian ASEAN chairmanships, the Bali Concord 4 will be issued to institutionalise human rights and other civic values within the grouping at the 42nd ASEAN-related…

Read More

Nearly 300 migratory birds have been recorded in Red River Delta in Northern Vietnam

Nearly 300 migratory birds have been recorded in the middle alluvium ground of the Red River, which flows through Hanoi. This is a particularly rare occurrence as many migratory species…

Read More
Tun Min Latt (yellow tie) with Senior General Min Aung Hlaing at an arms exhibition in Bangkok in 2019. (Photo courtesy of www.seniorgeneralminaunghlaing.com)

Dubious links to Myanmar junta a blot on PM Prayut

A deep connection between Myanmar’s arms dealer Tun Min Latt and the Thai elite has triggered a political controversy in Thailand at a time when Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is…

Read More
Cambodia’s Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn speaks during a press conference at the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Phnom Penh on August 6, 2022 / AFP

Cambodian foreign minister to visit Thailand Feb 23-24

Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn will arrive in Bangkok on Thursday for a two-day visit to strengthen bilateral ties and forge new areas of cooperation. It…

Read More

First ASEAN online sale day is fixed for Aug 8th

ASEAN will stage its first region-wide online shopping event in August, to promote cross-border trade through e-commerce, according to an informed source. The new ASEAN chair, Indonesia, has recently proposed…

Read More

Anwar’s visit sets tone for increase in bilateral trade and investment

Resolving the logistics bottleneck at the Customs checkpoint in the South and increasing overall trade and investment were high on the agenda of Malaysia’s newly elected Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim when…

Read More

Hun Sen orders shutdown of independent local news outlet in Cambodia

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered the shutdown of one of the last independent local news organizations in the country on Sunday night, saying it had attacked him and his…

Read More

Exclusive – A Conversation with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim

The 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim, was on formal visit to Thailand. He discussed various issues, from the South of Thailand, economic cooperation between the two…

Read More

Exclusive: Anwar calls for new ASEAN approaches to deal with Myanmar crisis

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has called on ASEAN to explore new approaches to resolving the ongoing crisis in Myanmar which, he said, can no longer be treated as the…

Read More

33 Myanmar workears arrested at a warehouse in Songkhla province

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 More
[FILE] Cars and tuk-tuk ride past a row of ASEAN member countries’ flags in the Laos capital of Vientiane on July 23, 2016. (Photo by HOANG DINH NAM / AFP)

ASEAN sets up interim RCEP bureau

ASEAN 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 More

Mekong is half-dead

“If the Mekong were a human, she would be half-dead, because everything has completely changed,” said Niwat Roykaew, a Goldman Environmental Prize recipient who has been leading the movement for…

Read More
A canoe passes through a new urban area of the Saigon River in Ho Chi Minh City on September 22, 2022. (Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP)

Vietnam boosts ‘bamboo diplomacy’

After 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 More
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin shaking hands with Philippine military chief General Andres Centino during a visit to the Westmincom headquarters in Zamboanga City, in southern island of Mindanao. (Photo by Western Mindanao Command / AFP)

Philippines to expand US access to military bases

The 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 More

Singapore opens Public Library ‘for all’

Singapore’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 More

Thailand’s corruption standing for 2022 an improvement over 2021

Thailand’s corruption standing for 2022 improved nine places to 101st, from 110th out of 180 countries in 2021, according to the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International. Thailand is…

Read More

Thai military’s close ties with Myanmar junta compromising ASEAN efforts to resolve crisis

Thailand’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 More
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Chinese vice-premier Liu He and their respective delegations wait ahead of their meeting in Zurich, on January 18, 2023. (Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP)

Future US-China thaw will be slow, but worth the wait

The 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 More

ASEAN and East Asia Summits fixed for September

The 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 More

Myanmar temporarily suspends processing of new passport applications

All 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 More

ASEAN Summit to put more emphasis on women’s empowerment

The 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 More

Thailand must improve set-piece defending, says coach Polking

Thailand coach Mano Polking bemoaned his side’s defending at set-pieces after Vietnam salvaged a late 2-2 draw in the first leg of the Asean Championship final in Hanoi on Friday….

Read More

New ASEAN chair says the bloc’s economic growth matters

Indonesian 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 More

Incoming ASEAN chief faces new challenges

An astute scholar of ASEAN from Cambodia, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, has now become the 15th Secretary General of ASEAN. Dr. Kao is no stranger to the academic world, as…

Read More

Thailand ranked 1st in ASEAN in Sustainable Development Report

Thailand has been ranked first in ASEAN in the latest Sustainable Development Report by United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UNSDSN). The report assesses 193 UN member states on their…

Read More

Major clash in Kayin State, military refutes casualty numbers

A combined force of anti-military groups, including the People’s Defence Force (PDF) and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), attacked nearby military encampments and reportedly as many as 100 soldiers…

Read More
Attendees watch a short film to mark the ASEAN chairmanship being passed to Indonesia at the closing ceremony of the 40th and 41st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summits in Phnom Penh on November 13, 2022. (Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP)

ASEAN FMs’ retreat to be held on 3-4 February

Indonesia, 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
Secretary-General of Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) Lim Jock Hoi [Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD / AFP]

ASEAN’s Lim Jock Hoi says ASEAN is at a crossroads

The 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
Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends a press conference in Tokyo on December 16, 2022. (Photo by David Mareuil / POOL / AFP)

Japan is no longer the same

It 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
Prison security officials prepare for the release of inmates outside Insein prison in Yangon on November 17, 2022. (Photo by AFP)

Thailand to host non-ASEAN meeting on Myanmar

Thailand 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 More
A demonstration against the Myanmar military junta’s execution of four prisoners, outside the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok on July 26, 2022. Myanmar’s junta executed four prisoners including a former lawmaker from Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, state media said on July 25, in the country’s first use of capital punishment in decades. (Photo by Manan Vatsyayana / AFP)

Prayut government maintained close ties with Myanmar junta in 2022, despite repression

While 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 More
South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol arrives for the G20 leaders’ summit in Nusa Dua, on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on November 15, 2022. (Photo by Mast IRHAM / POOL / AFP)

ASEAN-Korea celebrate 10 years of connectivity dialogue

Strengthening 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 More
Cambodia’s Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn / AFP

ASEAN special envoy’s planned Myanmar trip aborted

Cambodia’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 More

Age is not the main challenge for ASEAN’s young politicians

No 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 More

Challenges for Asian journalists, leaders

Thai 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 More

Youth vote, stability concerns to drive turnout as Malaysia polls near

In 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 More
(FILE) Cambodia’s Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn

ASEAN special envoy to make third visit to Myanmar

Cambodia’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 More

Page 2 of 5

Login

Welcome! Login in to your account

Remember me Lost your password?

Lost Password