ASEAN News

Myanmar – According to a Cambodian foreign ministry official, a Southeast Asian special envoy will visit Myanmar from March 20 to 23, in an attempt to start a peace process in a nation ravaged by turmoil since a coup a year ago. Last month, Cambodia’s foreign minister, Prak Sokhonn, requested Myanmar’s governing generals to allow him to speak with all …

ASEAN – Issues such as the South China Sea conflicts, regional power competition between China and the Western-led Quad alliance, Myanmar‘s military persecution of its Rohingya community, and this year’s coup d’etat have all put ASEAN unity to the test in recent years. Too frequently, bureaucrats fail to present a cohesive front, instead issuing feeble, formulaic pronouncements in reaction to …

Singapore – According to a governing party Member of Parliament, the PAP must quickly pick the future Prime Minister (PM) and Deputy Prime Ministers (DPM) in order to give them the maximum amount of time feasible before taking over as Singapore’s leader. “We can have all the appropriate fiscal policies in place and the fortitude to carry them through, despite the pain …

Taiwan – The administration said that comparing Taiwan’s position to Ukraine’s is wrong since the two are fundamentally different, and that individuals should not attempt to manipulate the situation by stating “today’s Ukraine is tomorrow’s Taiwan.” The invasion of Ukraine by Russia is being keenly watched in Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory and has been subjected to …

North Korea – North Korea may have launched a ballistic missile, according to Japan’s coast guard, in the first test since the nuclear-armed nation set a new record for launches in January. The Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea also said that North Korea had shot at least one “unidentified missile” eastward, without providing any other details. The launch …

Indonesia – A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia’s Sumatra island on Feb 25, killing seven people and injuring hundreds more, with locals rushing loved ones to safety as buildings fell around them. The quake struck only minutes after a smaller but more powerful earthquake, as scared locals began fleeing their homes. “After the first quake, we all escaped our house,” Yudi …

ASEAN – According to debt monitor Moody’s Investors Service, the Asia-Pacific region, including the Philippines, would undoubtedly feel the effect of rising tensions and Russia’s threat of invading Ukraine via global price shocks and trade disruption (Feb. 23). Moody’s managing director Michael Taylor said in a statement that the Asia-Pacific economies they monitor had “little direct exposure to Russian or …

ASEAN – According to a UN rights expert, UN Security Council members China and Russia, as well as Serbia, have continued to provide Myanmar’s military with weapons used to attack people since last year’s coup. Tom Andrews, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, has called for an emergency session of the Security Council to …

Malaysia – The Malaysian business community is looking forward to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s formal visit to Cambodia, which would strengthen bilateral connections between the two countries, particularly in trade and investment in Cambodia‘s youthful and expanding economy. “The Prime Minister’s visit has been long anticipated. It is an appropriate moment for the Prime Minister to visit …

Myanmar – The Myanmar junta turned down a request from a regional special envoy to meet with a group of expelled MPs, which it had labeled a terrorist organization, on Sunday, as part of efforts to break a year-long political impasse since the coup. Since the putsch in February 2021, Myanmar has been in disarray, its economy has been paralyzed, …