ASEAN Perspectives

President Duterte acknowledges S. China Sea dispute remains a “challenge” Asean has to face

(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday acknowledged that the South China sea row was one of the challenges the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was facing. Duterte, who spoke at the High Level Forum on ASEAN@50, said however, that “we are not in a hurry.” “And as a matter of fact, what we did was really the correct step and to avoid confrontational talks with almost all of the parties concerned, just ask […]

Three Southeast Asian nations launch joint air patrol

SUBANG, Malaysia (Reuters) — Defense ministers from Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines on Thursday (October 12) launched a joint air patrol initiative at Subang Air Base on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, as part of an effort to enhance air and maritime security in the region. The joint patrol is a move taken by the three countries to combat non-traditional threats such as piracy, kidnapping, terrorism and other transnational crimes. A city-wide siege by Islamic militants […]

North Korea tension a threat to Asian growth: World Bank

SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — The World Bank warned Wednesday that surging tensions over North Korea’s nuclear program could be a threat to robust growth in Asia. The bank predicted that developing East Asia and the Pacific would expand 6.4 percent this year, 6.2 percent next year and 6.1 percent in 2019, slightly better than their last forecasts in April. “Developing East Asia and the Pacific is doing better than most other developing regions of the […]

Trump hails ‘very strong’ ties with Thailand

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Donald Trump welcomed Thai junta leader chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha to the White House on Monday, trying to turn the page after coups rocked one of America’s oldest alliances. Describing Prayut’s visit as a “great honor,” Trump offered a symbolic show of unity with the man behind a 2014 takeover that resulted in Washington cutting aid and cooling relations. “We’ve had a long and very storied history with Thailand,” Trump […]

Bali volcano belches steam, sulphur as more evacuees flee

KARANGASEM, Indonesia (AFP) — A rumbling volcano on the holiday island of Bali is spewing steam and sulphurous fumes with more intensity, heightening fears of an eruption as officials said the number of evacuees had topped 144,000. Mount Agung, 75 kilometers (47 miles) from the resort hub of Kuta, has been shaking since August and threatening to erupt for the first time since 1963 — a potential blow to the island’s lucrative tourism industry. The […]

Opening of Bataan Nuclear Power Plant could be tackled in ASEAN Ministers on Energy meeting

QUEZON City, Philippines (Eagle News) — The opening of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant may be tackled in the 35th Association of South East Asian Nations Ministers on Energy Meeting. According to Department of Energy Undersecretary Felix Fuentebella, the Philippines is still in the process of determining whether the Philippines will support a nuclear policy.   He clarified that there are still many steps to be undertaken before the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant could be […]

Cayetano to UN: Allow PHL to manage own domestic concerns

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano  appealed to the United Nations General Assembly for the country to be allowed to manage its own domestic concerns as critics continue to criticize the government’s war on drugs. “Our people expect that the sovereignty be respected. And that its democratically elected government’s assessment of threats and how to go about addressing them shall be accorded preeminence among nations, or at the very least, is it too much to […]

PHL signs “Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons” on sidelines of UN General Assembly session

  (Eagle News) — The Philippines has signed the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons on the sidelines of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly, as it called on nuclear weapons states to join the international community in making the world a safer place by also signing the Treaty. “We call on Member-States that possess the world’s largest nuclear arsenals to sign on to the treaty,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter […]

Empty villages, Rohingya on the run: Who is left in Myanmar’s Rakhine?

  YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — A military campaign to wipe out Rohingya insurgents has rained violence down on Myanmar’s Rakhine state, sending nearly 390,000 Muslim Rohingya refugees fleeing for sanctuary in Bangladesh. Around 30,000 Rakhine Buddhists and Hindus have also been displaced, as ethnic and religious hatreds carve through the western state. Access to the epicentre of unrest — the northern wedge of Rakhine — has been blocked by the government as the crisis unfolds. […]

Philippines and Vietnam to continue to have strong friendly relations, says Vietnamese ambassador

(Eagle News) – Vietnam and the Philippines have a very outstanding relationship, one which will even be stronger, according to Vietnamese ambassador to the Philippines H.E. Ly Quoc Tuan. During a recent visit to Eagle Broadcasting Corporation, the Vietnamese ambassador shared the unique relationship of Philippines and Vietnam – two member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations whose peoples had made a lot of sacrifices to achieve independence. The relationship between Vietnam and […]

Suu Kyi and Myanmar face chorus of anger over Rohingya crisis

  YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Nobel peace laureate Malala Yousafzai and Muslim countries in Asia led a growing chorus of criticism on Monday aimed at Myanmar and its civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi over the plight of its Rohingya Muslim minority. Nearly 90,000 Rohingya have flooded into Bangladesh in the past 10 days following an uptick in fighting between militants and Myanmar’s military in strife-torn western Rakhine state. The impoverished region bordering Bangladesh has […]

Vietnam calls for Southeast Asian unity amid South China Sea tension

HANOI, Vietnam (Reuters) – Vietnam’s most powerful leader has called for greater unity among Southeast Asian states at a time the country has appeared increasingly isolated in challenging China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea. Making the first visit by a Vietnamese communist party chief to Indonesia, Nguyen Phu Trong said in a speech televised at home on Wednesday that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) needed to be unified in resolving territorial […]