ASEAN News

The Hong Kong and Singapore governments are continuing negotiations about a quarantine-free travel bubble between the two cities that was postponed last year after a surge in Covid-19 cases occurred in Hong Kong. There are close discussions in Singapore and Hong Kong on the Air Travel Bubble. When we are ready, we will announce more information,’ says Daniel Ng, Director …

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi is spearheading an effort to get the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) more involved in resolving the political situation in Myanmar. Retno flew to Brunei yesterday and is scheduled to visit Singapore today for talks to create an ASEAN consensus on the unfolding of the region’s political crisis. Thank you @VivianBala for receiving me …

Malaysia and the Philippines Civil Society Organizations encourage the 10 Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to designate the whole area a “no dumping ground” for hazardous waste and plastic waste. The 10 Member States of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are urged by Malaysia and the Philippines Civil Society Organizations to declare the …

SINGAPORE: On Wednesday (Feb 17), Singapore received the first shipment of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, two weeks after the authorities approved it for use here. The vaccines were brought on board Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight SQ7137, a scheduled freighter service from Brussels, Belgium, and arrived at approximately 1.40pm in Singapore. Pleased to see the safe arrival of the first batch of …

The ASEAN states, including Singapore, have intensively discussed the political crisis in Myanmar and can play a discreet role in helping Myanmar return to stability, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan told Parliament on Tuesday (Feb 16). The bloc, however, stands firm on its policy of not interfering in its members’ domestic politics, he added. Dr Balakrishnan, who responded to questions from …

SINGAPORE: On Monday (Feb 15), a British national and his Singaporean wife pleaded guilty to unlawfully spending time together in the Ritz-Carlton Millenia hotel during his stay-home notice. Nigel Skea, 52, was allowed, under COVID-19 regulations, to stay in his hotel room for 14 days. Three times he violated the rules and on his third departure he met his then …

HANOI, Feb 15 — In 2020, exports from six Southeast Asian countries dropped by 2.2 percent from a year earlier to a combined US$1.35 trillion (RM5.45 trillion), a relatively marginal decline amid Covid-19, according to data from the Japan External Trade Organization, the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported (JETRO). Of the six, only Vietnam reported a year-on-year rise in exports, …

SINGAPORE – An total of $2,000 in Covid-19 assistance was earned by each member of a Singaporean household, about 70% of which came from the broad-based Care and Support Plan, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said on Thursday (Feb 11). On average, each household earned around $4,000 from broad-based programs, much of which came in the form of cash transfers, …

SINGAPORE: On Wednesday (Feb 10), the government unveiled the Singapore Green Plan 2030, a “whole-of-nation movement” to promote the national sustainable development agenda. The programme, led by the Ministry of Education (MOE), the Ministry of National Development (MND), the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE), the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and the Ministry of Transport (MOT), sets …

After the army deposed the country’s newly elected government in a coup last week, a prominent Singapore businessman said he would withdraw his investment in a tobacco company linked to the Myanmar military. In a statement on Tuesday, February 9, Lim Kaling, co-founder and director of Hong Kong-listed gaming group Razer, said he was a minority shareholder in Virginia Tobacco …