ASEAN IN FOCUS

UN Security Council condemns Myanmar massacre

The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday condemned last week’s massacre in Myanmar of more than 30 people, including two Save the Children staff, that was blamed on junta troops. The killings took place on Christmas Eve in eastern Kayah state, where pro-democracy rebels have been fighting the military, which took over the government from the democratically elected administration in February. In a statement released Wednesday evening, Security Council members “stressed the need to ensure […]

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7.3 magnitude quake strikes off Indonesian coast: USGS

A powerful 7.3 magnitude quake struck off the coast of Indonesia’s Maluku province in the early hours of Thursday, the United States Geological Survey said in a statement. There were no immediate reports of tsunami warnings, nor casualties or damage. The offshore quake took place around 3:25 am local time (1825 GMT Wednesday) and hit at a depth of 166 kilometers (103 miles), about 120 kilometers northeast of the town of Lospalos. Indonesia experiences frequent […]

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Save the Children says two Myanmar staff missing after burnt remains found

Save the Children said two of its Myanmar staff were missing on Saturday, after the charred remains of more than 30 people were found, in an attack a monitoring group and local media blamed on junta troops. Myanmar has been in chaos since the February coup, with more than 1,300 people killed in a crackdown by security forces, according to a local monitoring group. “People’s Defence Forces” (PDF) have sprung up across the country to […]

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Malaysia floods death toll rises to 27

  KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — The death toll from Malaysia’s worst floods in years rose to 27 on Wednesday, as a clean-up operation gathered pace and residents assessed the damage unleashed by the disaster. Days of torrential rain caused rivers to overflow at the weekend, swamping cities, cutting off major roads, and forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes. Selangor — Malaysia’s most densely populated and wealthiest state, encircling the capital […]

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At least 70 missing after landslide at Myanmar jade mine: rescue team

YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — At least 70 people were missing and one confirmed dead on Wednesday following a landslide at a jade mine in northern Myanmar, a member of the rescue team told AFP. “About 70-100 people are missing in a landslide that happened around 4:00 am” at Hpakant mine in Kachin state, said rescue team member Ko Nyi. “We’ve sent 25 injured people to hospital while we’ve found one dead.” Around 200 rescuers were […]

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Thailand reimposes quarantine for travellers to halt Omicron spread

Thailand reimposed mandatory coronavirus quarantine measures for foreign tourists on Tuesday, nixing a quarantine-free travel scheme as the kingdom seeks to stifle the spread of the Omicron variant. The pandemic has clobbered the country’s tourism-dominated economy, which last year experienced its worst performance since the 1997 Asian financial crisis. In early November Thailand reopened to fully vaccinated travellers — who had to isolate for a night until they received a negative PCR test — from […]

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Floods in Malaysia displace more than 30,000 people

  KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — More than 30,000 people were evacuated from their homes in Malaysia on Sunday as the country battles some of its worst flooding in years. The tropical Southeast Asian nation often sees stormy monsoon seasons towards the end of the year, with flooding regularly prompting mass evacuations. Downpours since Friday have caused rivers to overflow, submerging many urban areas and cutting off major roads, leaving thousands of motorists stranded. More […]

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Indonesian volcano erupts again, spewing ash cloud

Indonesia’s mount Semeru erupted twice Thursday, belching a massive column of ash into the sky followed by a flow of lava that sent hundreds of rescuers fleeing in panic. The highest mountain on the island of Java erupted earlier this month, killing at least 48 and leaving a dozen people missing. Rescuers were digging through the mud and volcanic debris when ash — which reached 4.5 kilometres from the peak — and lava flow from […]

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Death toll in Malaysian boat accident rises to 18

  KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — The death toll from a boat accident off Malaysia rose to 18 Thursday after a search and rescue team found the bodies of seven more Indonesian migrants on the shore. The vessel, which was carrying about 50 Indonesians seeking to enter neighbouring Malaysia illegally, capsized Wednesday in stormy weather off the southern state of Johor. Soldiers on patrol found 11 victims on the shore in the hours after the […]

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‘Forgotten’ animals rescued after Indonesia volcano eruption

by Haeril HALIM LUMAJANG, Indonesia (AFP) — As rescuers comb the ash-covered landscape looking for people after Indonesia’s Mount Semeru erupted earlier this month, volunteers are searching for even more vulnerable survivors: cats, cows and other animals. The disaster killed 48 people, according to the latest toll, and rescuers are still seeking bodies in the mud and rubble. As deadly ash destroyed villages in East Java’s Lumajang district, at least 767 cows also died, while […]

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Death toll in Malaysian boat accident rises to 16

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — The death toll from a boat accident off Malaysia rose to 16 Thursday after a search and rescue team found the bodies of five more Indonesian migrants on the shore. The vessel, which was carrying about 50 Indonesians seeking to enter neighboring Malaysia illegally, capsized Wednesday in stormy weather off the southern state of Johor. Soldiers on patrol found 11 bodies on the shore in the hours after the accident, […]

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