ASEAN IN FOCUS

Philippines releases photos of China’s alleged secret island building

VIENTIANE, Laos (AFP) — The Philippines released photos Wednesday to back its claims that China had secretly begun work to cement control over a crucial shoal in the hotly contested South China Sea. The release of the images, which claimed to show Chinese ships preparing to build an artificial island on Scarborough Shoal, came hours ahead of a meeting between Southeast Asian leaders and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in Laos. China this week insisted it […]

ASEAN leaders meet for the second day in Laos

    VIENTIANE, Laos (Reuters) — Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gathered for a second day of meetings in Laos on Wednesday (September 7), as they prepared to hold discussions with international dialogue partners. The meeting hosted by Laos, the rotating chair, is expected to cover a range of regional and international issues, Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith said at the opening remarks. The rift involving a few ASEAN nations and China […]

Singapore PM Lee meets with President Duterte before formal start of ASEAN

  (Eagle News) – Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong met President Rodrigo Duterte, ahead of the official opening of the ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos Tuesday (September 6), with both leaders affirming the long and close ties of both countries. This was the first bilateral meeting of President Duterte at the ASEAN Summit. In the bilateral meeting, Lee also invited Duterte to visit Singapore, said the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). Mr. Lee also congratulated […]

Duterte sits down for talks with Japanese, Vietnamese leaders

  (Reuters) — Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte sat down for talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday (September 6) on the sidelines of a regional meeting in Laos, with both sides agreeing to strengthen cooperation to ensure a peaceful resolution of the South China Sea dispute. With both countries locked in territorial disputes with China, Abe agreed during the bilateral meeting to provide two large-sized patrol ships and lend up to five used […]

ASEAN Summit opens in Laos

(Reuters) — Leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) attended the opening ceremony of their regional meeting on Tuesday (September 6). The three-day meeting will bring together leaders from ASEAN and eight other dialogue partners: China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, Russia, New Zealand and the United States. Laos President Bounnhang Vorachith made opening remarks to mark the start of the summit. “In recent years, regional and international environments have undergone rapid and […]

ASEAN issues statement condemning Davao blast

  (Eagle News) — THE Association of Southeast Asian Nations has strongly condemned the recent deadly blast in Davao, describing it as a terrorist attack, and at the same time reiterated its commitment to combat extremism and terrorism in all forms. “ASEAN strongly condemns explosion, an act of terrorist attack, in Davao, the Republic of the Philippines on 2 September 2016, which caused the loss of lives and injuries. ASEAN extends its deepest sympathies and […]

US ramps up bomb clearance money to Laos during Obama visit

VIENTIANE, Laos (AFP) — The United States will intensify efforts to help Laos rid itself of unexploded bombs, the White House said Tuesday during a historic visit by Barack Obama to a nation once carpet-bombed by Washington. Laos became the world’s most-bombed country per capita from 1964 to 1973 as Washington launched a secret CIA-led war to cut supplies flowing to communist fighters during the Vietnam War. Much of the country is still littered with […]

Duterte regrets Obama comments came across as personal attack

  (REUTERS)  The Philippines said on Tuesday that President Rodrigo Duterte regretted comments he made about U.S. President Barack Obama came across as a personal attack and led to the cancellation of a meeting between the leaders of the allied nations. “President Duterte explained that the press reports that President Obama would ‘lecture’ him on extrajudicial killings led to his strong comments, which in turn elicited concern,” the Philippines said in a statement released at […]

Filipino community in Laos welcomes President Duterte upon arrival in Vientiane

The Philippine community in Laos welcomed President Duterte upon his arrival in Vientiane to attend the 28th and 29th ASEAN Summit   The President will be accepting the chairmanship of ASEAN’s 50th Anniversary during the 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits in Lao PDR. The Philippines is scheduled to host the ASEAN Summit next year when the ASEAN will be  celebrating its 50th anniversary. In the ASEAN 2017, 11 cities in the Philippines will host more […]

Obama cancels meeting with Duterte

  By Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Barack Obama has cancelled a planned meeting with Philippines leader Rodrigo Duterte, the White House said Monday, after his Asian ally launched a foul-mouthed tirade against him. Duterte called Obama a “son of a whore” hours earlier, vowing he would not allow the American leader to lecture him on human rights. “President Obama will not be holding a bilateral meeting with President Duterte of […]

Malaysian infected by Zika died from heart disease complications: ministry

  By A. Ananthalakshmi KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – A 61-year-old man diagnosed with the first case of a locally transmitted Zika infection in Malaysia has died from heart disease complications, and not from the mosquito-borne virus, the health ministry said on Saturday. The ministry had said earlier that the patient was already suffering from high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, chronic kidney disease, kidney stones and gout before he sought medical attention on Aug. 30. […]

Singapore confirms 27 more locally transmitted Zika cases

  SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore authorities on Sunday confirmed 27 more cases of locally transmitted Zika virus infection, bringing the total to 242. Twenty-five new cases were linked to the initial outbreak area, one was linked to a potential new cluster and the remaining new case had no known links to any existing cluster, the Ministry of Health and National Environment Agency said in a joint statement. “There is a potential new cluster involving one […]