Tag: ASEAN IN FOCUS

Indonesia’s Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano erupts twice in a day

JAKARTA, June 29, 2024 (AFP) – Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in Eastern Indonesia erupted twice on Saturday, volcanology authorities said, sending thick, dark clouds into the air. The first eruption took place at 11:04 am local time (0304 GMT) and lasted nearly 11 minutes, according to a statement from the Indonesian volcanology agency. The second was at 2:41 pm and lasted a little over 10 minutes, spewing volcanic material 900 metres above the crater. “Residents and […]

Philippines says Chinese coast guard boarded navy vessels in South China Sea

MANILA, June 19, 2024 (AFP) – The Philippine military said Wednesday the Chinese coast guard rammed and boarded Filipino navy boats in a violent confrontation in the South China Sea this week in which a Filipino sailor lost a thumb. Monday’s incident was the latest in a series of escalating confrontations between Chinese and Philippine ships in recent months as Beijing steps up efforts to push its claims to the disputed area. Filipino military chief […]

Python swallows woman whole in Indonesia

MAKASSAR, Indonesia, June 8, 2024 (AFP) – A woman has been found dead inside the belly of a snake after it swallowed her whole in central Indonesia, a local official said Saturday. The husband of 45-year-old Farida and residents of Kalempang village in South Sulawesi province discovered her on Friday inside the reticulated python, which measured around five metres (16 feet). The mother-of-four had gone missing Thursday night and failed to return home, forcing a […]

Philippines accuses Chinese boats of ‘dangerous’ actions in high seas medivac

  MANILA, June 7, 2024 (AFP) – As two Philippine vessels meet on the high seas to transfer a sick Filipino soldier, China Coast Guard boats shadow, block and bump them, according to video released by the Philippine Coast Guard on Friday. The incident happened last month during the medical evacuation of a soldier who was stationed on a grounded Philippine Navy vessel on Second Thomas Shoal in the disputed South China Sea. The Philippine […]

Indonesia deports ‘most wanted’ Thai fugitive

JAKARTA, June 4, 2024 (AFP) – Indonesia deported one of Thailand’s “most wanted” fugitives on Tuesday to face murder and drugs charges in his home country, a police official said, after he escaped custody last year. Chaowalit Thongduang, a 37-year-old also known by the moniker “Pang Na Node”, was arrested by police on the Indonesian resort island of Bali last week. He was escorted to the capital Jakarta’s international airport under guard by ten police […]

Jakarta’s only MRT line shuts down due to construction mishap

JAKARTA, May 30, 2024 (AFP) – A mass rapid transit line in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta was suspended on Thursday due to a construction incident along part of its elevated line, the operator said. No one was hurt due to the incident, Ahmad Pratomo, corporate secretary at operator PT MRT Jakarta, said in a statement to AFP. “Due to an incident at a construction activity carried out at the Attorney General office’s building… affecting the train’s […]

Indonesia volcano belches ash tower 2 km into the sky

BUKIT TINGGI, Indonesia (AFP) – A volcano in western Indonesia erupted on Thursday, spewing an ash cloud two kilometres into the sky as authorities warned residents over potential dangers from cold lava flows. Mount Marapi in West Sumatra province erupted at 1:04 pm (0604 GMT), spewing thick grey clouds of ash two kilometres (1.2 miles) above its peak, the national disaster mitigation agency, or BNPB, said in a statement. The volcano — one of Indonesia’s […]

Amateur, 22, is first Singaporean golfer to qualify for Masters

LOS ANGELES, May 29, 2024 (AFP) – Young amateur golfer Hiroshi Tai will be the first Singaporean to play in the US Masters after he won the prestigious national college championship in the United States. The 22-year-old, who studies at Georgia Tech, won the NCAA Individual Men’s Championship in California on Monday by one stroke to earn a place at Augusta in April 2025 and a major debut at next month’s US Open at Pinehurst. […]

Ex-Thai PM Thaksin to face trial for royal insult

BANGKOK, May 29, 2024 (AFP) – Former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra will be prosecuted for insulting the monarchy, the attorney general’s office said Wednesday, over comments he made almost a decade ago. Prayuth Pecharakun, spokesman for the attorney general, said Thaksin would be summoned to court on June 18 to answer charges under the kingdom’s strict lese-majeste laws. The decision comes as a blow to Thaksin, a two-time premier ousted in a 2006 coup […]

Indonesia’s Mount Ibu erupts again, spews hot ash and sand

JAKARTA, May 27, 2024 (AFP) – A volcano in eastern Indonesia spewed a six-kilometre cloud of ash into the sky on Monday in the latest of nearly 100 eruptions since early this year. The fresh eruption at Mount Ibu on Halmahera island in North Maluku province occurred at 03:30 am local time (1830 GMT Sunday), and sent sand falling onto surrounding areas, according to authorities. The volcano, which has erupted at least 95 times since […]