ASEAN Perspectives

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s speech in accepting ASEAN chairmanship for year 2017

  Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s speech in accepting ASEAN chairmanship for year 2017 Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen. Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, please accept my sincere congratulations on your successful chairmanship of the ASEAN throughout this year. You guided us with the timely motto of “Turning Vision into Reality for Dynamic ASEAN community.” You ably did your part in deepening integration to move us towards the realization of a rules-based people oriented, people-centered ASEAN community. In […]

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Closing remarks of Lao PDR Prime Minister at ASEAN closing ceremony and chairmanship handover to Phl

  Closing Remarks By H.E. Thongloun Sisoulith, Prime Minister of the Lao PDR  at the Closing Ceremony of the 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits and related Summits and Handing Over of ASEAN Chairmanship to the Republic of the Philippines 8 September 2016, National Convention Centre ——– Your Majesty, Excellencies,Heads of State and Government, Secretary-General of ASEAN, Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, The 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits and related Summits held under the theme […]

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Illicit drugs undermine social cohesion in ASEAN region – Duterte

  (Reuters) — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte warned at the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Business and Investment Summit on Tuesday (September 6) that the illicit drug trade was a “pressing problem” for his country and the region. Speaking to business representatives from various countries in Laos, he said that the regional bloc needed “stronger resolve to combat transnational crime”. “The trade in illicit and illegal drugs in particular has emerged as a pressing […]

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Obama says US is ‘here to stay’ in Asia

VIENTIANE, Laos (AFP) — Barack Obama, on his final visit to Asia as US president, insisted Tuesday renewed American engagement with the region would endure after he left the White House. “America’s interest in the Asia-Pacific is not new. It’s not a passing fad. It reflects fundamental national interests,” he said in a speech in the Lao capital of Vientiane. The US president is making his 11th and last trip to the Asia-Pacific, seeking to […]

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Kerry says no military solution to South China Sea dispute

  By Lesley Wroughton NEW DELHI (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called on Wednesday (August 31) on China and the Philippines to abide by an international tribunal’s decision on the disputed South China Sea and said there was no military solution to the problem. Kerry’s remarks, made in a visit to India, came ahead of a G20 summit in China on Sunday and Monday that could be overshadowed by arguments over everything from […]

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Is the South China Sea fracturing ASEAN?

Author: Adam Leong Kok Wey, National Defence University of Malaysia (Courtesy East Asia Forum) — The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) judgement on the South China Sea ruled that there is no legal basis for Chinese ‘historical rights’ within its claimed nine-dash line. China did not accept the judgement and has instead continued its maritime and aerial activities in the region. ASEAN has struggled to issue a strong and coherent response, largely because half of ASEAN’s members […]

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ASEAN Youth Volunteers in the Phl for volunteer work on disaster risk reduction

(Eagle News) — Today, August 26, is the closing ceremony of the fourth installation of the regional youth program in the Philippines of the ASEAN Youth Volunteer Programme (AYVP) 2016. The AYVP is implemented by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (The National University of Malaysia-UKM). The AYVP Philippines 2016, with the theme, ‘The Development of ASEAN Youth DRR-Leaders through Volunteerism and Community Engagement’ is organized in collaboration with the University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University […]

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Holiday paradise is hell for Indonesian children

  (Reuters) — Bali, a paradise for holidaymakers is a living hell for local children who are at risk of being sexually harassed, activists warn, as they called for stricter law enforcement to protect the vulnerable amid booming tourism. One 14-year-old, called “S” to protect her identity, learned her lesson the hard way. She is one of the alleged victims in an ongoing trial in Indonesia, where prosecutors say Australian suspect Robert Andrew Fiddes Ellis […]

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Philippines–Vietnam partnership can help manage South China Sea dispute

  By Mico A Galang, NDCP (Courtesy East Asia Forum) — On 12 July 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration rendered its decision on the Philippines v. China case over disputes in the South China Sea. Capturing worldwide attention, the ruling was made largely in Manila’s favour. Yet overshadowed by this event was another milestone in Manila’s foreign relations: the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Vietnam.   In […]

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South China Sea dispute and the way forward

QUEZON City, Philippines (Eagle News) — The situation in the South China Sea has become more precarious and some say, more unpredictable, even after the historic ruling of the permanent court of arbitration on the maritime dispute in the region. China’s nine-dash line has been invalidated, but China has remained firm it would not recognize the ruling.  It has even adopted a belligerent stand, but the administration of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte is hopeful that […]

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ASEAN and China at a crossroads after South China Sea ruling

  Author: Sourabh Gupta, ICAS (Courtesy East Asia Forum) — Almost 30 years to the day that a young, Harvard-trained American lawyer won a famous judgment at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against the United States, Paul S Reichler pulled off another momentous victory at The Hague. This time the judgment was against China for having breached its international treaty obligations in the South China Sea. Washington refused to honour the 1986 award, citing […]

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Thailand votes on divisive junta constitution

  by Jerome Taylor Ju Apilaporn BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Thailand began voting on a junta-crafted constitution Sunday in a referendum where open debate has been banned, as opponents warned the document will perpetuate military power and deepen divisions. The poll offers Thais their first chance to vote since generals toppled the elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra in 2014. The kingdom is split after a decade of political turmoil that has dented growth, seen democracy […]

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