ASEAN IN FOCUS

Wounded Myanmar refugees tell of air strike horror

by Thanaporn Promyamyai and Dene-Hern Chen Agence France Presse MAE SUAT, Thailand (AFP) — Civilians wounded in Myanmar air strikes on rebel positions spoke of their terrifying ordeal Tuesday after trekking through jungle to seek medical treatment across the border in Thailand. Military jets hit targets in eastern Karen state on Saturday and Sunday, as Myanmar reeled from the deadliest day so far in the junta’s crackdown on anti-coup protests. The strikes targeted territory held […]

Myanmar crackdown death toll passes 500

YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — The death toll in the Myanmar military’s crackdown on protesters has passed 500, as armed rebel groups on Tuesday threatened the junta with retaliation if the bloodshed does not stop. World powers have ramped up their condemnation of the military’s campaign against the anti-coup movement that is demanding the restoration of the elected government and the release of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Washington suspended a trade pact with Myanmar […]

Indonesia cathedral rocked by suicide bombing

  by Andi Hajramurni Agence France Presse JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — An Indonesian cathedral was rocked by a suicide bombing on Sunday with body parts littering the chaotic scene as Christians inside celebrated the start of the Catholic Church’s Holy Week. The powerful blast at the church in Makassar city on Sulawesi island happened around 10:30 am local time (0330 GMT) and left at least 14 church officials and congregants injured by debris, police said. […]

Scores dead as Myanmar junta puts on show of force

  NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar (AFP) — Myanmar’s security forces killed at least 91 people Saturday in the bloodiest day since the military seized power, a monitoring group said, as the junta staged a major show of might for its annual Armed Forces Day. The killings drew swift international outrage, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying the military had shown its willingness to “sacrifice the lives of the people to serve the few.” Myanmar has […]

Thailand faces meth trafficking surge after Myanmar coup

  by Lisa MARTIN Agence France Presse NONG KAI, Thailand (AFP) — A village watchman trains his binoculars on a suspicious fishing boat — the first line of defence as Thailand braces for a fresh methamphetamine influx after a coup in neighbouring Myanmar. The kingdom’s narcotics bureau has already seized more than 80 million “yaba” pills just in the past six months, a record haul partly blamed on a supply glut caused by the coronavirus […]

Firebomb attack at Suu Kyi’s party headquarters in Myanmar

  YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — A fire from a hurled Molotov cocktail broke out early Friday at the party headquarters of deposed civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar’s largest city, a party official said. The country has been in uproar since the military ousted the Nobel laureate in a lightning putsch on February 1, triggering an uprising demanding a return to democracy. Her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), has been in […]

Myanmar junta frees 600 detainees including AP photographer

  YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Myanmar freed more than 600 coup detainees on Wednesday, including an Associated Press photographer arrested while covering rallies, following fresh outrage over brutal crackdowns on protesters. The regime has unleashed a deadly wave of violence as it struggles to quell nationwide protests against the February 1 ouster and arrest of civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The 75-year-old was due to have a court hearing on Wednesday in Myanmar’s capital […]

Philippines spots hundreds of Chinese ‘militia’ boats near disputed reef

  MANILA, Philippines (AFP) — More than 200 Chinese fishing vessels believed to be crewed by militia have been spotted near a disputed reef off the Philippines, a government agency said, expressing “concern” over their presence. The Philippine coast guard detected the boats “in line formation” at the boomerang-shaped Whitsun Reef around 320 kilometres (175 nautical miles) west of Palawan Island on March 7, a task force charged with monitoring the South China Sea said […]

BBC journalist ‘missing’ as junta crackdown triggers Yangon exodus

  YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — A Burmese journalist with the BBC’s Myanmar language news service went “missing” on Friday, as civilians fled the coup-hit country’s largest city after the junta’s deadly crackdown on dissent. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, triggering a mass uprising that security forces have sought to crush with a campaign of violence and fear. The junta has also gone […]

Covid-hit Papua New Guinea calls for 1 million emergency AstraZeneca doses

by Taylor Thompson-Fuller in Sydney and Holly Robertson in Brisbane Agence France Presse PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (AFP) — Papua New Guinea’s health minister on Wednesday told AFP the country’s record wave of coronavirus infections will “spike” further in coming weeks, calling on drug-maker AstraZeneca to urgently deliver one million vaccine doses to staunch the looming crisis. Jelta Wong warned his under-resourced nation was already “running at full throttle” to prevent a wave of […]

Thai PM gets AstraZeneca jab as country resumes rollout despite concerns

BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Thailand’s prime minister on Tuesday received the AstraZeneca vaccine as the Southeast Asian nation began the drug’s rollout, lifting a suspension that was triggered by European nations raising safety concerns. The country became the first outside of Europe to temporarily delay the Covid-19 vaccine after several EU nations — including Ireland, the Netherlands and Denmark — moved to delay it due to reports that some recipients had suffered blood clots. Thailand […]

Yangon residents flee martial law area as Myanmar death toll grows

YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Residents of a protest flashpoint district in Myanmar’s biggest city fled on flatbed trucks and tuk-tuks Tuesday after security forces escalated the use of lethal force against anti-coup protesters, despite international appeals for restraint. Much of the country has been in uproar since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi last month, with hundreds of thousands taking to the streets to demand a return to democracy. Police and soldiers […]