ASEAN News

Afghanistan – At the weekend, Taliban forces marched through a northwest Afghan city in a show of force, days after reinforcements were dispatched to quiet protests after the imprisonment of a popular leader. After an Uzbek Taliban leader was jailed for apparent connections to an abduction scheme, wave of protests started last week in Maymana, the capital of Faryab province. Fears …

Singapore – The impending Omicron wave in Singapore might reach 15,000 cases per day, which is many times higher than the Delta wave, which peaked at roughly 5,000 cases per day last year. At a press conference on Wednesday (Jan 5), Associate Professor Kenneth Mak, director of medical services at the Ministry of Health (MOH), said that this is comparable …

South Korea – As worry grows over the development of the extremely contagious Omicron variant, South Korea will begin treating coronavirus patients with Pfizer‘s antiviral medicines on Friday, according to health officials. As stated by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), at least 21,000 Paxlovid pills will be arriving on Thursday and to be distributed to a total of 280 pharmacies and 90 residential …

Malaysia – The Malaysia’s foreign minister said that before taking a position on the matter of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, the Malaysian government is still waiting to see what the international groups, such as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), have to say about it. Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah said the country has yet to decide …

India – In the first round of the India Open that commenced on Wednesday, rising men’s singles shuttler Ng Tze Yong has given the seventh seed Tommy Sugiarto of Indonesia a shock with 21-16, 14-21, 21-5 that caused a huge upset to the singles shuttler. At the K.D Jadhav Indoor Hall in New Delhi, the 21-year-old Johor shuttler had to battle …

Singapore – According to Dr Janil Puthucheary, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has not received any reports of significant adverse events or myocarditis in children aged five to 11 as of last Friday (Jan 7). “Most adverse effects encountered by children following vaccination have been mild, including as injection site soreness, weariness, and fever, and they normally pass in a …

Cambodia – According to their organization, an anti-tank mine left over from Cambodia’s civil war burst on Monday, killing three members of a local demining crew while they worked. In a Facebook post from Cambodia Self Help Demining, the team of professionals had been reacting to a warning in the northern province of Preah Vihear. In the 1990s, the region …

Myanmar – On Monday, a Myanmar military court found Aung San Suu Kyi guilty of three criminal offenses and sentenced her to four years in jail, the latest in a series of proceedings against the deposed democratic leader. The Nobel Laureate has been jailed since February 1, when her administration was deposed in a coup, putting an end to Myanmar’s brief …

Cambodia – On Friday, Cambodian PM Hun Sen was greeted with a red carpet and an honour guard in Myanmar, while coup opponents protested elsewhere in the nation, fearing his visit would legitimize the junta. Meeting with Myanmar’s military rulers was the first by a head of state since the army deposed Aung San Suu Kyi‘s civilian government on Feb. …

Philippines – As infections reached a three-month high, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte announced yesterday that individuals who have not received Covid-19 shots would be arrested if they break stay-at-home orders. In a televised address to the country, Duterte said he was ordering local officials to hunt out unvaccinated persons and confine them to their residences. “He can be arrested if …