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 …

KUALA LUMPUR – Technical issues at the Malaysian High Commission in Singapore, combined with an increase in passport renewal applications during the Covid-19 pandemic, contributed to long lines outside the mission recently, according to the Malaysian Immigration Department. In a statement, Malaysian Immigration Chief Khairul Dzaimee Daud said that a passport printing machine at the high commission is currently out …

Southeast Asian countries rated the pandemic as their top concern in 2020, and China ranks first among its dialogue partners in terms of assisting the region. This is according to the ASEAN Studies Centre at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore’s 2021 State of Southeast Asia survey study. The majority of respondents (60.7 percent) from the ten members of the …

Southeast Asian foreign ministers are preparing for a special meeting with Myanmar’s ruling military on Tuesday in the hopes of quelling deadly violence and opening a channel to resolve the country’s worsening political crisis. The talks will take place two days after Myanmar’s bloodiest day of unrest since the military deposed Aung San Suu Kyi’s elected government a month ago, …

SINGAPORE – Without fear of spreading the coronavirus, Singapore has been testing a ‘bubble’ business hotel that will allow quarantined executives arriving in the country to conduct face-to-face meetings and even exchange documents. The bubble was set up in an exhibition venue near Changi airport in the city-state and has separate air ducts for tourists and guests, plus hundreds of …

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 …

KUALA LUMPUR  – On Friday, Malaysia’s highest court found the Malaysiakini news portal in contempt of court over comments made by readers considered insulting to the judiciary, in a case widely seen in the Southeast Asian nation as a measure of media freedom. Malaysia’s attorney general filed an application last year to cite Malaysiakini and editor-in-chief Steven Gan for contempt …

On Friday, February 5, the leaders of Indonesia and Malaysia said they were seeking a special meeting of foreign ministers of the countries of Southeast Asia to address the situation in Myanmar, where an elected government was overthrown earlier this week in a coup. The military seized power on Monday, throwing a wedge into Myanmar’s long and troubled transition to …

METRO MANILA – Despite implementing the longest, strictest lockdown in Southeast Asia, the Philippines now has the most coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the region with more than 119,000 cases. The Department of Health (DOH) reported 3,561 new cases that overtakes Indonesia in terms of total COVID-19 cases in the region. With Metro Manila now being the epicenter of …