ASEAN IN FOCUS

UPDATED: One dead, six injured in suspected suicide bombing at Indonesia police station

MEDAN, Indonesia (AFP) — A suspected suicide bombing outside a police station in Indonesia has left at least one attacker dead and six other people wounded, authorities said Wednesday. The explosion happened around 8:45 am local time (0145 GMT) at the compound in Medan on Sumatra island during morning roll call. “We suspect this is a suicide bombing with one attacker killed,” national police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo told reporters in Jakarta. He said at least […]

With 1,115 athletes, 753 coaches and officials, PHL has largest delegation to 30th SEA Games

  (Eagle News) — With 1,115 athletes and 753 coaches and officials, the Philippines will have the biggest delegation in the 30th Southeast Asian Games which the country will be hosting starting this Nov. 30. The Philippine delegation has a total of 1,868 members. Still, the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) officials said that the number of entries could still go down depending on the delegation registration meeting on November 19. Philippine sports officials […]

Thailand formally hands over ASEAN chairmanship to Vietnam

https://youtu.be/x-hTCUMtdMM (Eagle News) – Thailand formally over of the chairmanship of the ASEAN Summit to Vietnam during the closing ceremony of the 35th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Thailand on Monday, Nov. 4. Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha turned over the symbolic gavel of the ASEAN chairmanship to Vietnamese Prime Minster Nguyễn Xuân Phúc. Vietnam will officially become the ASEAN chair on January 1, 2020. This is the third time it has held the […]

UPDATED:15 killed in suspected rebel attacks in Thailand’s south: army

BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) –At least fifteen people were killed and another four injured in attacks by suspected Muslim rebels in Thailand’s violence-wracked south, an army spokesman said on Wednesday, the largest death toll in years. The Malay-Muslim south has been in the grip of a bloody insurgency that has killed more than 7,000 people over the last 15 years. Late Tuesday militants struck two checkpoints in Yala province manned by civil defense volunteers, opening fire […]

E-scooter riders caught on Singapore footpaths may be jailed

SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — Electric scooter riders in Singapore were banned from footpaths Monday and could face jail if they break the rule, after a series of accidents linked to the trendy two-wheelers sparked anger. The city-state is the latest country to introduce new regulations to cope with a surge in the popularity of the contraptions, which many pedestrians view as silent menaces. Tech-savvy Singapore has embraced the e-scooter craze but accidents — including fires […]

US accuses Beijing of ‘intimidation’ in South China Sea

by with Shaun Tandon in Washington / Dene CHEN BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — The United States on Monday accused China of intimidation in the South China Sea as it put forward its strongest language yet rejecting Beijing’s claims in the strategic, dispute-rife waters. The Pacific powers traded tit-for-tat barbs over the South China Sea at a regional summit in Bangkok, with Beijing accusing the United States of ratcheting up tensions in the waters, a key […]

SE Asia leaders snub US meeting after Trump skips ASEAN summit

  by Jenny VAUGHAN / Joe Freeman Agence France Presse BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Several Southeast Asian leaders snubbed a meeting with US officials on Monday after President Donald Trump decided not to attend a regional summit in Bangkok. Just three leaders from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) showed up to the session, along with a host of foreign ministers. Trump has been accused of turning his back on Asian allies for […]

US says it is ‘extremely engaged’ in Asia after Trump skips ASEAN meet

  by Joe Freeman Agence France Presse BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross insisted Monday that his country remained “extremely engaged” with Asia despite Donald Trump skipping a regional leaders summit. Ross and US national security advisor Robert O’Brien are the most senior members of the Washington delegation in Bangkok for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting, also attended by Indian, South Korean and Japanese leaders. Previous meetings have been […]

Beijing says it is ‘ready to work’ with ASEAN on South China Sea rules

BEIJING, China (AFP) — Beijing said Sunday it is “ready to work” with Southeast Asian nations on a code of conduct in the flashpoint the South China Sea, where it is accused of building up military installations and bullying fellow claimants. China claims most of the resource-rich waterway, a major global shipping route that has long been a source of tension in the region. For years, the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has […]

Duterte urges ASEAN not to sacrifice the environment in pursuit of progress

(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte has urged members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations not to sacrifice the environment in the pursuit of progress. The President made the appeal at the 35th ASEAN Summit, the Palace said in a statement on Saturday, Nov. 2. “ASEAN should not sacrifice the environment and the region’s rich biodiversity, particularly in the maritime domain, in its quest for progress,” Duterte said, based on the statement. He said […]

In photo: President Duterte receives commemorative soccer T-shirt from FIFA

(Eagle News) — In this picture provided by the Presidential Communications Operations Office, President Rodrigo Duterte is seen holding up the commemorative T-shirt he received during the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) on November 2. The MOU was aimed at boosting the sport in the ASEAN countries through FIFA’s Football for Schools program. Duterte is flanked by Myanmar leader […]

Duterte to ASEAN: Choosing sides in US-China feud a “strategic mistake”

(Eagle News)–President Rodrigo Duterte has urged members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations not to choose or “be forced to choose” between the United States and China. In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said at the 35th ASEAN summit plenary, Duterte called the move a “strategic mistake” which past Philippine administrations had committed and which he was “rectifying through his independent foreign policy.” According to Panelo, the President noted  the changing regional landscape […]