ASEAN IN FOCUS

Dali, the ship that brought down Baltimore bridge

PARIS, March 26, 2024 (AFP) – The Dali container ship that caused the collapse of a key bridge in Baltimore is recently built and flies under Singapore’s flag. It was constructed by the Korean Hyundai shipyard in 2015 and is 300 metres long (985 feet), 48 metres wide and 24.8 metres tall, with gross tonnage of 95,000 tonnes, making it an average-sized container ship. It had left Baltimore port at 1 am local time Tuesday […]

Philippines says three soldiers hurt by China water cannon

MANILA, March 24, 2024 (AFP) – Three Philippine troops were injured in the latest China Coast Guard water cannon attack on a Filipino supply vessel near a South China Sea reef, Manila’s national security adviser said Sunday. The Philippine government said Saturday’s confrontation caused severe damage to the Unaizah May 4 vessel while it was on its way to deliver troops and provisions to a Philippine navy ship grounded atop the Second Thomas Shoal. China […]

Two Rohingya found dead at sea after Indonesia ends survivor search

ACEH JAYA, Indonesia, March 23, 2024 (AFP) – The bodies of two Rohingya refugees were retrieved and several more were spotted at sea Saturday, local rescuers said, days after a wooden boat believed to be carrying around 150 people capsized, leaving many missing or dead. The mostly Muslim ethnic Rohingya are heavily persecuted in Myanmar, and thousands risk their lives each year on long and expensive sea journeys, often in flimsy boats, to try to […]

Philippines accuses China of water cannon attack on supply vessel

  MANILA, March 23, 2024 (AFP) – The Philippines accused the China Coast Guard of blocking and firing water cannon at a Filipino supply vessel Saturday morning off a remote and contested South China Sea reef. The Philippine military said the attack occurred off Second Thomas Shoal, where Chinese ships have unleashed water cannon and collided with Filipino vessels in similar stand-offs in recent months. The military released video clips that showed a white ship […]

Magnitude-6.4 quake hits off Indonesia’s Java island: USGS

JAKARTA: A magnitude-6.4 offshore earthquake hit near Indonesia’s Java island on Friday (Mar 22), the United States Geological Survey said, with the tremor felt in the capital Jakarta and forcing residents of another city to flee their homes. The quake had a depth of approximately 8km, and struck off Java island’s northern coast near Bawean island at about 3:52 pm local time (4.52pm, Singapore time), the USGS said. There were no immediate reports of damage […]

Vietnam confirms recall of nearly 6,000 VinFast electric cars

HANOI, March 22, 2024 (AFP) – Vietnam’s leading electric car manufacturer VinFast has recalled almost 6,000 vehicles after a fault in their indicator system was discovered, the government has confirmed, in a fresh blow to the firm. The communist state’s first homegrown auto maker is hoping to compete with electric vehicle (EV) giants such as Tesla, and is trying to crack the global market. But VinFast has struggled to convince international drivers its EVs are […]

Rescuers end sea search for Rohingya refugees

By Zahlul Akbar MEULABOH, Indonesia, March 22, 2024 (AFP) – Indonesian rescuers called off the search for Rohingya refugees missing at sea after their boat capsized, despite reports from some of the survivors that dozens of people were swept away. Friday’s announcement comes a day after authorities staged a dramatic rescue of 69 Rohingya who had been adrift at sea for weeks before the boat capsized, with many found clinging to the hull of the […]