ASEAN News

METRO MANILA – The Department of Finance (DOF) on Thursday proposes a 6-point plan to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to enable the region to be more resilient in the growing threats of Covid-19 pandemic. Finance Secretary Carlos G. Dominguez III proposed the plan during the 24th ASEAN Finance Ministers’ Meeting via teleconference saying that the six-point plan …

KUALA LUMPUR – Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah has urged Malaysians today to be united against the common enemy of Covid-19 amid the recent spike in transmissions in the country. In three consecutive Facebook posts today, he said that Malaysians should not let the frontliner’s effort goes to waste and must be united to fight the common …

KAULA LUMPUR – The Malaysian government is set to continue the discussion with Singapore on reopening the border, amid spike in Covid-19 cases in past few days. According to Economic Affairs Minister Mustapha Mohamad, The council always discuss this issue during the weekly meetings. The last meeting talks about the tourism sector affected by Covid-19 pandemic and border closure. The …

The region’s relationship with the two superpowes is under pressure as the rivalry of the two superpowers are affecting Asia’s shared prosperity and security. The rise of China as a global power causes deepening tension with the United States. This has been recently intensified by the Covid-19 pandemic that is affecting the global economy. Asean has played a vital role …

JAKARTA – The Indonesian government is preparing measures such as electronic visa system and special counters at the airports for the proposed “reciprocal green lane” with Singapore. According to Minister of Law and Human Rights Yasonna Laoly, the measures are being discussed following discussions on a “reciprocal green lane” to allow essential travel. The minister added that immigration officials would …

METRO MANILA – Former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials in Central Visayas have been convicted of of graft by the Sandiganbayan 6th Division in connection with the decorative lampposts in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, which were installed during the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in 2007. The Sandiganbayan’s Sixth Division sentenced then-DPWH Regional Director Robert …

TOKYO – Japan’s new prime minister, Yoshihide Suga is planning to visit Vietnam and Indonesia this month (October) in his  official overseas trip as Prime Minister of Japan, government sources revealed on Wednesday. If the trip materializes, Suga is expected to hold meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. The plan to visit …

MANILA – The Asean member-states spearheaded by the Philippines has implement the Asean-Wide Self-Certification Scheme (AWSC) last September 20 to facilitate trade within the region. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) sain in a statement that the AWSC aims to simplify the origin certification procedure for the claim and granting of lower duties or in most cases, tax free …

Behind a ban on what would have been an annual march by a key human rights organisation, with some 6,000 police officers scheduled to be deployed on (Oct 1), which is China’s National Day, authorities in the city are planning for possible clashes at the beginning of the long weekend. Local media outlets HK01 and Sing Tao reported that given …

Indonesian trade unions threatened to stage a national strike next month after a committee in Parliament decided to move forward with planned labor reforms in the contentious” Job Creation “bill of President Joko Widodo. Global investors are closely monitoring the Bill to see that its terms have not been weakened in parliamentary debates, as the largest economy in South-East Asia …