ASEAN News

Taiwan – Taiwan would develop economic relations with Lithuania in a “cycle of goodwill” despite pressure from Beijing, Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the US said on Wednesday. Following Taiwan’s establishment of a representative office in Lithuania’s capital in November, Beijing severed relations with the Baltic state, and according to diplomatic sources, 19 Lithuanian embassy workers and their dependents had …

Malaysia – US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken and Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah spoke candidly and productively as part of the senior US official’s first visit to Malaysia. “Our conversations covered a wide range of topics, and our bilateral connections have been robust,” Saifuddin said during a meeting with hearing-impaired singer Jeshurun Vincent, who has been to …

Indonesia – Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State of the United States, paid a visit in Indonesia, beginning off a tour to Southeast Asia aimed at boosting relations in a region that has emerged as a geopolitical battlefield between the United States and China. In his first trip to Southeast Asia since US President Joe Biden took office in January, Blinken will begin his …

Indonesia – A powerful earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 rocked eastern Indonesia today, prompting a tsunami warning, according to the country’s meteorological department. However, there was no immediate information on any injuries or damage. Agustinus Florianus, a native of Maumere town on Flores island, said that everyone went out onto the street after the incident. After the earthquake struck …

Singapore – Former WP MP Raeesah Khan lied to the House on August 3 and repeated the deception on October 4, according to WP vice-chair Faisal Manap, but the opposition party’s top three leaders did not inform the rest of the leadership or cadres. The committee issued its second report on the hearings recently. According to committee minutes, Mr Faisal, WP …

Cambodia – Cambodian leader Hun Sen ordered the military to destroy or stockpile any US weapons, after Washington’s imposition of an arms embargo over human rights concerns and Phnom Penh’s strong connections with China. The US enforced a weapons embargo on Cambodia just recently, citing worries about the southeast Asian country’s human rights and corruption situation, as well as China’s …

ASEAN – According to a research published recently, Facebook misidentified tens of thousands of advertising labeled under its political ads policy, raising concerns that the mistake might lead to political manipulation. Researchers from KU Leuven University in Belgium and New York University looked at 33.8 million Facebook advertisements that appeared between July 2020 and February 2021. In a summary of …

Hong Kong – On Thursday, a Hong Kong court convicted three renowned pro-democracy activists of unlawful assembly in connection with a June 4 vigil last year to commemorate Beijing’s 1989 crackdown on protestors in and around Tiananmen Square. Hong Kong has long staged the world’s biggest annual June 4 vigils, as part of the broad freedoms granted when it reverted …

Singapore – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has urged for the release of Myanmar’s former leader Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as other political inmates, following her conviction by the country’s military junta for a two-year prison sentence. The ministry has also asked for the release of ousted President Win Myint and foreign detainees in a media statement …

Malaysia – People in Malaysia who earn low wages can get help getting back home through the Singapore-Malaysia Land VTL thanks to a fund set up by Maybank and the Malaysian Association in Singapore (Masis). The fund is called the “Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) Support Fund.” People who work in Singapore and have a valid work permit from Maybank can …