Tag: aseaninfocus

Chinese FM Wang Yi to embark on Southeast Asia tour

BEIJING, Aug 9, 2023 (AFP) – China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Singapore, Malaysia and Cambodia this week, Beijing said on Wednesday as it seeks to build ties in the region. Wang, who returned to the post last month after the unexplained disappearance of predecessor Qin Gang, will travel to the three countries from Thursday to Sunday, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement. “China hopes to strengthen strategic communication with the three […]

Philippines takes second place in 2023 UN Global Survey on Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation

In a significant achievement reported by the Bureau of Customs on Tuesday (August 8, 2023), the Philippines secures the second rank in Southeast Asia within the UN Global Survey on Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation 2023. This achievement is underscored by the Philippines’ Trade Facilitation score of 87.10%. This ascent from the third position in the 2021 survey underscores the nation’s unwavering momentum in modernizing trade processes and achieving top-tier customs administration standards, as stated […]

China demands Philippines remove grounded ship from disputed waters

BEIJING, Aug 8, 2023 (AFP) – China Tuesday renewed calls for the Philippines to remove an ageing ship from a reef which Manila uses to press its stake in the Spratly Islands in defiance of Beijing’s claim to nearly the entire South China Sea. The move comes after the Philippines at the weekend accused the China Coast Guard of firing water cannon against boats on a resupply mission to its garrison stationed on the grounded […]

Why is a rusty Philippine warship involved in the South China Sea dispute?

By Cecil MORELLA MANILA, Aug 7, 2023 (AFP) – A crumbling World War II-era Philippine navy vessel stranded on a submerged reef in the South China Sea has long been a flashpoint between Manila and Beijing in their territorial dispute over the waters. Tensions flared again on Saturday when the China Coast Guard allegedly blocked and fired water cannon at Philippine vessels seeking to deliver food, fuel and water to Filipino troops stationed on the […]

Ex-PM Thaksin delays return to Thailand

BANGKOK, Aug 5, 2023 (AFP) – Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra said Saturday he would delay by two weeks his return to the kingdom after 15 years of self-exile. The 74-year-old billionaire, who won two elections but was ousted in a 2006 military coup, has long said that he wished to return home — but faces multiple criminal charges that he says are politically motivated. On Saturday, Thaksin said that he would delay his […]

Thai freight train hits truck, killing eight

BANGKOK, Aug 4, 2023 (AFP) – Eight people were killed on Friday when a freight train hit a pick-up truck trying to cross the tracks in central Thailand, the kingdom’s railway agency said. The crash took place around 2:20 am (1920 GMT Thursday) at an unauthorised crossing in Chachoengsao province, east of Bangkok, the State Railway of Thailand said in a statement. The train driver had sounded his warning horn as he approached the crossing […]

Taiwan FM says conflict with China would have ‘disastrous results’

TAIPEI, Aug 2, 2023 (AFP) – A Chinese invasion of Taiwan would have “disastrous results” for the world, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu told AFP in an interview Wednesday, citing the island’s strategic importance for the semiconductor industry and global shipping lanes. Wu’s warning comes as democratically ruled Taiwan heads towards a presidential election next year, while facing increased military and political pressure from China across the Taiwan Strait. Beijing claims Taiwan as its own territory […]

Myanmar junta cuts six years from Suu Kyi’s 33-year jail term

YANGON, Aug 1, 2023 (AFP) – Myanmar reduced ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s 33-year prison sentence by six years in a partial pardon on Tuesday, as the junta struggles to quell bloody resistance to its rule. The country has been ravaged by violence in the two years since Suu Kyi was deposed in a coup and hit with 19 criminal cases ranging from corruption to breaching Covid-19 rules. There have been concerns for […]

Winning party in Thai election excluded from coalition

BANGKOK, Aug 2, 2023 (AFP) – The reformist party that won Thailand’s general election was excluded Wednesday from a coalition trying to form the next government, as lawmakers seek to overcome resistance from military and pro-royalist senators. The Move Forward Party (MFP) won the most seats in May’s election, riding a wave of support from young and urban Thais weary of almost a decade of army-backed rule, but it fell well short of a majority. […]

Myanmar junta extends state of emergency, delaying polls

YANGON, July 31, 2023 (AFP) – Myanmar’s junta announced a six-month extension to a state of emergency Monday, signalling a delay to elections they had pledged to hold by August. The Southeast Asian nation has been ravaged by deadly violence since a coup deposed Aung San Suu Kyi’s government more than two years ago, unleashing a bloody crackdown on dissent. Thousands of civilians have been killed and injured as the junta battles a clutch of […]

Three Bali immigration officers arrested over Cambodia organ ring

JAKARTA, July 29, 2023 (AFP) – Three Bali immigration officers have been arrested for their alleged role in an illegal organ trafficking syndicate that ferried dozens of victims to Cambodia to sell their kidneys, Indonesian police said Saturday. The move comes as authorities crack down on the suspected illegal organ trade ring, arresting 12 members last week — including a police officer and an immigration officer identified as AH — accused of smuggling 122 victims […]

Eight trapped in illegal Indonesia gold mine feared dead: official

BANYUMAS, Indonesia, July 30, 2023 (AFP) – Eight people trapped in an illegal gold mine on the Indonesian island of Java are feared dead, a local rescue official said Sunday, as search efforts entered a fifth day with little progress. Unlicensed mines — many with disregard for basic safety measures — are common across the mineral-rich Southeast Asian archipelago and accidents are frequent. The workers were digging inside a hole with a depth of 60 […]