ASEAN IN FOCUS
Chinese vessels in high-seas chase of Philippine boat with media
By Pam Castro and Jamillah Sta Rosa SOUTH CHINA SEA, Nov 11, 2023 (AFP) – As a Philippine Coast Guard rubber boat carrying journalists sped towards Filipino troops on a grounded navy vessel in the disputed South China Sea, three Chinese speed boats gave chase. The high-seas pursuit near Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands on Friday ended when Philippine Navy inflatable speed boats deployed from the crumbling BRP Sierra Madre and blocked the […]
Philippines accuses China of ‘dangerous’ actions in South China Sea
MANILA, Nov 10, 2023 (AFP) – The Philippines accused the Chinese coast guard Friday of “dangerous harassment” of Filipino boats in the disputed South China Sea, including firing a water cannon. The latest incident near Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands comes nearly three weeks after two collisions between Chinese and Philippine vessels during a resupply mission to the same tiny garrison. The countries, which have a long history of maritime disputes in […]
Northern Myanmar fighting displaces almost 50,000 civilians: UN
YANGON, Nov 10, 2023 (AFP) – Almost 50,000 people have been displaced by fighting in northern Myanmar after an alliance of ethnic armed groups launched an offensive against the military two weeks ago, the United Nations said Friday. “As of 9 November, almost 50,000 people in northern Shan were forced into displacement,” the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said in an update. Fighting has raged for two weeks across northern […]
Living in extraordinary times! – #ASEANinFocus – November 8, 2023
Alert: Another magnitude 6.7 earthquake hits Indonesia’s Banda Sea: USGS
#Earthquake (#gempa) confirmed by seismic data.âš Preliminary info: M6.7 || 340 km SE of #Ambon (#Indonesia) || 8 min ago (local time 22:02:08). Follow the thread for the updates👇 pic.twitter.com/Zltf3P3HKT — EMSC (@LastQuake) November 8, 2023 Notable quake, preliminary info: M 6.7 – Banda Sea https://t.co/1yL11FQ99p — USGS Earthquakes (@USGS_Quakes) November 8, 2023 JAKARTA, Nov 8, 2023 (AFP) – A 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia’s Banda Sea on Wednesday, the United States Geological Survey said, hours […]
Living in extraordinary times! – ASEAN in Focus – November 8, 2023
7.1-magnitude quake hits Indonesia’s Banda Sea
JAKARTA, Nov 8, 2023 (AFP) – A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia’s Banda Sea on Wednesday, the United States Geological Survey said, with no immediate reports of damage or casualties. No tsunami warning was issued for the quake — initially reported as a magnitude 6.9 — which hit at 11:53 am local time (0453 GMT), according to the USGS. The tremor was felt moderately in the town of Saumlaki in the archipelago’s Tanimbar Islands, according to […]
Living in extraordinary times! – ASEAN in Focus – November 7, 2023
China urges Myanmar to ‘cooperate’ on border stability
BEIJING, Nov 6, 2023 (AFP) – A senior Chinese diplomat has urged Myanmar to “cooperate” in maintaining stability on their shared border, Beijing said Monday, after armed groups fighting the junta seized a strategic trading outpost. Assistant Foreign Minister Nong Rong visited Myanmar from Friday to Sunday, Beijing said, holding talks with senior junta officials on clashes the UN said have forced 23,000 people from their homes. “Myanmar is called on to cooperate with China […]
Embracing extraordinary times! ASEAN in Focus – November 6, 2023
Killing of Philippine radio broadcaster caught on camera
MANILA, Philippines, Nov 5, 2023 (AFP) – A radio broadcaster was fatally shot inside his studio in the Philippines on Sunday, police said, the latest in a long list of journalists killed in the country. Juan Jumalon, 57, was in his home-based studio on the southern island of Mindanao when a gunman shot him in the head, said Captain Deore Ragonio, police chief in Calamba municipality. Jumalon is the fourth journalist to be slain since […]
