ASEAN IN FOCUS

UPDATED:15 killed in suspected rebel attacks in Thailand’s south: army

BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) –At least fifteen people were killed and another four injured in attacks by suspected Muslim rebels in Thailand’s violence-wracked south, an army spokesman said on Wednesday, the largest death toll in years. The Malay-Muslim south has been in the grip of a bloody insurgency that has killed more than 7,000 people over the last 15 years. Late Tuesday militants struck two checkpoints in Yala province manned by civil defense volunteers, opening fire […]

E-scooter riders caught on Singapore footpaths may be jailed

SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — Electric scooter riders in Singapore were banned from footpaths Monday and could face jail if they break the rule, after a series of accidents linked to the trendy two-wheelers sparked anger. The city-state is the latest country to introduce new regulations to cope with a surge in the popularity of the contraptions, which many pedestrians view as silent menaces. Tech-savvy Singapore has embraced the e-scooter craze but accidents — including fires […]

US accuses Beijing of ‘intimidation’ in South China Sea

by with Shaun Tandon in Washington / Dene CHEN BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — The United States on Monday accused China of intimidation in the South China Sea as it put forward its strongest language yet rejecting Beijing’s claims in the strategic, dispute-rife waters. The Pacific powers traded tit-for-tat barbs over the South China Sea at a regional summit in Bangkok, with Beijing accusing the United States of ratcheting up tensions in the waters, a key […]

SE Asia leaders snub US meeting after Trump skips ASEAN summit

  by Jenny VAUGHAN / Joe Freeman Agence France Presse BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Several Southeast Asian leaders snubbed a meeting with US officials on Monday after President Donald Trump decided not to attend a regional summit in Bangkok. Just three leaders from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) showed up to the session, along with a host of foreign ministers. Trump has been accused of turning his back on Asian allies for […]

US says it is ‘extremely engaged’ in Asia after Trump skips ASEAN meet

  by Joe Freeman Agence France Presse BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross insisted Monday that his country remained “extremely engaged” with Asia despite Donald Trump skipping a regional leaders summit. Ross and US national security advisor Robert O’Brien are the most senior members of the Washington delegation in Bangkok for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting, also attended by Indian, South Korean and Japanese leaders. Previous meetings have been […]

Beijing says it is ‘ready to work’ with ASEAN on South China Sea rules

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Beijing said Sunday it is “ready to work” with Southeast Asian nations on a code of conduct in the flashpoint the South China Sea, where it is accused of building up military installations and bullying fellow claimants. China claims most of the resource-rich waterway, a major global shipping route that has long been a source of tension in the region. For years, the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has […]

Duterte urges ASEAN not to sacrifice the environment in pursuit of progress

(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte has urged members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations not to sacrifice the environment in the pursuit of progress. The President made the appeal at the 35th ASEAN Summit, the Palace said in a statement on Saturday, Nov. 2. “ASEAN should not sacrifice the environment and the region’s rich biodiversity, particularly in the maritime domain, in its quest for progress,” Duterte said, based on the statement. He said […]

In photo: President Duterte receives commemorative soccer T-shirt from FIFA

(Eagle News) — In this picture provided by the Presidential Communications Operations Office, President Rodrigo Duterte is seen holding up the commemorative T-shirt he received during the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) on November 2. The MOU was aimed at boosting the sport in the ASEAN countries through FIFA’s Football for Schools program. Duterte is flanked by Myanmar leader […]

Duterte to ASEAN: Choosing sides in US-China feud a “strategic mistake”

(Eagle News)–President Rodrigo Duterte has urged members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations not to choose or “be forced to choose” between the United States and China. In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said at the 35th ASEAN summit plenary, Duterte called the move a “strategic mistake” which past Philippine administrations had committed and which he was “rectifying through his independent foreign policy.” According to Panelo, the President noted  the changing regional landscape […]

President Duterte now in Thailand for ASEAN summit

(Eagle News)–President Rodrigo Duterte is now in Bangkok, Thailand to attend the 35th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit and Related Summits. The President arrived at the Royal Thai Air Force Base at 8:30 pm (Bangkok time) to begin his four-day visit. Welcoming the President upon his arrival were Philippine Ambassador to Thailand Mary Jo A. Bernardo-Aragon, Chief of Presidential Protocol and Presidential Assistant on Foreign Affairs Robert E.A. Borje, Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and […]

Dread builds in Vietnam over fate of missing UK migrants

  by Tran Thi Minh Ha Agence France Presse NGHE AN, Vietnam (AFP) — Dread mounted across Vietnam on Sunday as relatives of migrants feared to be among 39 people found dead in a truck in Britain revealed new heart-wrenching details of their last contact with their loved ones. The driver of the refrigerated trailer discovered in an industrial park on Wednesday has been charged with 39 counts of manslaughter and people trafficking in a […]

Up to 20 Vietnamese feared among 39 UK truck dead

  by Tran Thi Minh Ha Agence France Presse NGHE AN, Vietnam (AFP) — As many as 20 Vietnamese citizens are feared among 39 people found dead in a truck in Britain this week, families and community organisers said Saturday, as one of the alleged truck owners denied involvement in the tragedy. British police initially said all of the 31 men and eight women found early Wednesday in a refrigerated lorry in an industrial park […]