ASEAN News

After a passenger from Singapore Airlines tested positive for the Covid-19 virus, Hong Kong do not allow incoming passenger flights from Singapore Airlines until the middle of April. The authorities of Hong Kong also said that three of the passengers from the March 31 flight where the carrier is in, failed to observe strict precautionary measures to prevent the spread …

According to an economist, there is no need to be alarmed because of the Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) projection of headline inflation increasing to 5% in the second quarter of 2021. Malaysia University of Science and Technology Professor Geoffrey Williams said that core inflation was expected to remain between 0.5% and 1.5% while non-oil inflation was more likely to be …

Seven leading Hong Kong pro-democracy personalities were convicted on Thursday of organizing and participating in an unauthorized assembly during massive anti-government protests in 2019 including media tycoon Jimmy Lai, marking the territory’s latest crackdown on disagreement. The four-week trial was heard in West Kowloon Court, where Judge Amanda Woodcock read the verdict on Thursday morning. Prosecutors accused the seven activists …

MANILA- The Philippines’ top diplomat and three other Southeast Asian foreign ministers will visit China from March 31 to April 2, according to a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry. Locsin’s visit coincides with the continued presence of Chinese vessels in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea, at the Julian Felipe Reef.During her daily press conference on …

In 2019, 44.3 million tourists traveled between ASEAN countries, according to GlobalData’s latest report, “Tourism Destination Industry Insight- ASEAN (2021).” From 2019 to 2024, intra-ASEAN travel is projected to rise at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5%, reaching 56.6 million by 2024. Given the high rate of development, intra-regional travel may be critical to the region’s recovery from …

For the third day in a row, the Philippines logged over 9,000 new COVID-19 cases on the eve of the weeklong lockdown in the “NCR Plus” bubble. On Sunday, March 28, the Department of Health (DOH) announced 9,475 new cases, taking the total number of cases in the country to 721,892. Ngayong 4 PM, Marso 27, 2021, ang Department of …

JAKARTA: Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan said on Friday (Mar 26) that before travel arrangements can resume, Singapore and Indonesia should preferably have the “same degree of control” over COVID-19 transmissions. Dr. Balakrishnan said in an interview to wrap up his visit to Jakarta that resuming travel should be done gradually, safely, and cautiously. Related PostsA Lingering ASF and …

On March 23, an international conference in Vietnam’s Binh Duong province learned that ASEAN needs to implement green manufacturing technologies to create sustainable new goods and services. Dr. Michael Braun, the coordinator of the Enhanced Regional EU-ASEAN Dialogue Instrument project, said at the “Cooperating with Europe for Green Manufacturing Technologies” conference that promoting technical collaboration between the European and Southeast …

KUALA LUMPUR: According to Reuters, Malaysia decided on Wednesday (Mar 24) to postpone scheduled deportations to Myanmar until after a proposed emergency regional summit to discuss the crisis in Myanmar caused by a military coup. When Malaysia sent back 1,086 Myanmar nationals on Myanmar navy ships last month, just weeks after the military seized power in a Feb 1 coup, …

MANILA – The Philippines’ foreign ministry said Tuesday that China’s “continuing infringements” in Philippine territory, despite “resolute protests,” are “contrary” to its “commitments under international law” and an agreement it forged with Southeast Asian countries. “The Philippines calls on China to faithfully honor its obligations as a State Party to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the …