ASEAN News

Singapore – Singapore has imposed sanctions on Russia on Saturday that include four banks and an export embargo on electronics, computers and military products, in a rare measure by the Asian financial center in response to what it said was Moscow’s “dangerous precedent” in Ukraine. The small city-state, a worldwide shipping center, does not usually impose sanctions on its own …

Singapore – By the fourth quarter of this year, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will have established a new Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS) to handle rising challenges in the digital realm. Along with the present Army, Navy, and Air Force, this will be the SAF‘s fourth service. “The digital terrain has become as real as the land, air, and …

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 …