ASEAN IN FOCUS

Mother of death row Filipina begs Indonesia president to free her

MANILA (AFP) – The mother of a Filipino drug trafficker on death row in Indonesia begged the country’s president to free her daughter on Wednesday. The plea came a day after the Philippines made a fresh appeal for clemency for Mary Jane Veloso, who was arrested in Indonesia in 2010 carrying a suitcase lined with 2.6 kilograms (5.7 pounds) of heroin and later sentenced to death. The mother-of-two won a last-minute reprieve from the firing […]

Papua New Guinea vows crackdown after 15 killed in riots

PORT MORESBY, Jan 11, 2024 (AFP) – Papua New Guinea’s prime minister pledged to crack down on “lawlessness” Thursday, following riots in which 15 people were killed as angry crowds torched buildings and ransacked shops. Violence erupted in the capital Port Moresby on Wednesday evening after a group of soldiers, police officers and prison guards launched protests against the government. Within hours riots had also taken root in the city of Lae, some 300 kilometres […]

Indonesia’s Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano erupts, on highest alert level

JAKARTA, Jan 10, 2024 (AFP) – Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted anew Wednesday, spewing ash clouds two kilometres (6,561 feet) above its peak as authorities raised the volcano’s alert status to the highest level. The eruption follows weeks of heightened volcanic activity on the mountain, located on eastern Indonesia’s Flores Island, and prompted the local government to issue an evacuation order for nearby residents. “The communities are urged to immediately evacuate to safe points to […]

4 dead, 22 injured in Indonesia train collision

BANDUNG, Indonesia, Jan 5, 2024 (AFP) – Four people were killed and at least 22 injured when two trains carrying hundreds of passengers collided in Indonesia on Friday, officials said. The front carriages of both trains were a mangled wreck while others further back had derailed and overturned on a stretch of tracks cutting through rice fields in West Java province. No fatalities have been reported among the nearly 500 passengers on board, with all […]

China slams ‘provocative’ US moves in South China Sea as both sides conduct drills

BEIJING, Jan 4, 2024 (AFP) – China on Thursday slammed what it called “provocative” moves by the United States and its ally the Philippines in the South China Sea, as both sides held drills in the disputed waters. Warships from China and the US conducted rival exercises in the sea this week amid heightened tensions involving US ally the Philippines. Beijing’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command Wednesday said a two-day deployment of its […]

Beijing condemns Myanmar border clashes that caused Chinese casualties

BEIJING, Jan 4, 2024 (AFP) – Beijing on Thursday voiced “strong dissatisfaction” that fighting in neighbouring Myanmar had caused Chinese casualties and said it would take “all necessary measures” to protect its citizens, following reports an artillery shell had exploded across the border. Armed conflict has raged in Myanmar’s northern Shan state since October, when an alliance of ethnic minority groups launched an offensive against the military junta. Several Chinese media outlets reported on Wednesday […]

China holds navy, air patrols in South China Sea

BEIJING, Jan 4, 2024 (AFP) – Chinese and US warships were in the South China Sea on Thursday, conducting rival exercises in the disputed waters amid heightened tensions involving US ally the Philippines. Beijing’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command a day before said a two-day deployment of its navy and air force, scheduled to end today, was carrying out “routine patrols” in the sea. It did not mention where exactly the patrols took […]

China announces ‘routine’ military patrols in disputed South China Sea

BEIJING, Jan 3, 2024 (AFP) – China on Wednesday announced “routine” military patrols in the South China Sea, following recent clashes between countries in the disputed waterway. The People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theater Command said it had “organised naval and air forces to conduct routine patrols” in the sea from January 3 to 4. The statement did not mention where exactly the patrols would take place or give specific details of their aims. Beijing claims […]