ASEAN IN FOCUS

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 […]

Indonesia’s Joko Widodo set to announce new cabinet

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia’s Joko Widodo is set to announce a new cabinet Wednesday in a line-up that could include his election arch-rival, a multi-billion-dollar startup co-founder and the former owner of Inter Milan. Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, beat Prabowo Subianto — a former military general accused of rights violations — in April elections to secure another term as president of the world’s third-biggest democracy. The victory followed a bitter campaign plagued by […]

Indonesia’s Jokowi kicks off new term at heavily guarded ceremony

  by Haeril HALIM Agence France Presse JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo was sworn in for a second term on Sunday, as helicopters flew overhead and troops kept watch in the capital Jakarta — days after Islamist militants tried to assassinate his top security minister. Foreign heads of state, lawmakers and political rivals looked on as Widodo, 58, and Vice President Ma’ruf Amin, 76, read an oath to start a five-year tenure […]

Abominable’ won’t be screened in Malaysia over S. China Sea map

  KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Animated film “Abominable” will not be shown in Malaysia after its distributor Sunday said it could not comply with censors’ demands to cut a controversial scene showing Beijing’s disputed claims in the South China Sea. The decision comes after Vietnam pulled the Universal Pictures movie from theatres days ago and the Philippines’ foreign secretary called for the segment to be excised. “Universal has decided not to make the censor […]

PHL, India sign 4 deals in state visit of India’s President Kovind; stronger ties vowed at 70th year of PHL-India relations

  (Eagle News) – Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte and Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, signed four bilateral agreements covering maritime domain, security, tourism, science and technology, and culture on Friday, October 16, during the five-day state visit in the country of the Indian leader. The state visit of the 74-year old Indian President was significant as the Philippines and India celebrated 70 years of diplomatic relations. Kovind said that the signed bilateral agreements “would further […]

Singapore hands down first conviction for terror financing

  SINGAPORE (AFP)– A Singaporean man became the first of the country’s citizens to be jailed for financing terrorism after he was convicted of sending money to a radical Islamist preacher. There have been a steady stream of arrests in Singapore related to support for Islamist extremism, and the affluent city-state’s leaders have warned it is a prime target for an attack. Ahmed Hussein Abdul Kadir Sheik Uduman was jailed for two and a half […]

Indonesia arrests two dozen after minister attack

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesian police said they have arrested more than two dozen suspected militants after members of a network linked to the Islamic State (IS) group tried to assassinate a government minister. The world’s biggest Muslim majority nation is on high alert ahead of President Joko Widodo’s second-term inauguration on Sunday, with some 27,000 troops expected to be deployed in the capital Jakarta. Authorities have also banned mass demonstrations in the lead up […]

19-year old Yulo wins historic gold for the PHL at world artistic gymnastics championship in Germany

  (Eagle News) — Filipino teenager Carlos Edriel Yulo made history as the first Filipino to win a gold medal at the world gymnastics championship on Saturday in Stuttgart, Germany. With the win, the Philippine national anthem was played for the first time at the podium during awarding ceremonies at the 49th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships late Saturday, Oct. 12. Earlier this week, Yulo had also qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He is […]

Suspected IS radical stabs Indonesian security minister

  JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — An attacker allegedly “exposed to IS radicalism” stabbed Indonesian security minister Wiranto as he was stepping into a vehicle Thursday, leaving two deep wounds, police said. “Someone approached and attacked him. The local police chief and Pak (Mr) Wiranto were injured,” National Police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said of the attack in Pandeglang on Java island, adding that a man and a woman had been arrested. Television images showed security officers […]

Fake news sparks panic among Indonesia quake victims

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Thousands of Indonesians are still in shelters nearly two weeks after a deadly earthquake sparked a stream of fake news and hoaxes warning that an even bigger disaster was looming, the government said Monday. The local government has declared a state of emergency until Wednesday, with nearly 135,000 people in evacuation shelters and tents. Many displaced people are too scared to return to their homes in the remote Maluku islands after […]