OTTAWA, Nov 3, 2023 (AFP) – Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair on Friday slammed Chinese fighter jets’ second “significantly unsafe” intercept in two weeks of Canadian aircraft patrolling the Pacific. Blair said at a news conference that a Chinese fighter jet on October 29 twice flew close to a Canadian Cyclone helicopter near the Paracel Islands, in the South China Sea, and on the second flyby fired flares “directly in front” of the helicopter. There […]
ASEAN IN FOCUS
Myanmar ethnic minorities claim gains in junta offensive
YANGON, Myanmar, Nov 3, 2023 (AFP) – An alliance of Myanmar ethnic minority groups said it made more gains in its offensive against the ruling junta on Friday, with the regime vowing it would hit back at the biggest military challenge it has faced since it seized power. Fighting has raged for a week across a wide area of northern Shan state near the China border, forcing more than 23,000 people from their homes, according […]
Myanmar’s Shan state: What we know
YANGON, Nov 3, 2023 (AFP) – An alliance of Myanmar ethnic minority groups is waging a lightning offensive against the military which analysts say is the biggest battlefield challenge to the junta since it seized power. The fighting across northern Shan state has displaced more than 23,000 people according to the UN, and seen dozens of military outposts fall. The rugged jungle region has long been a bitterly contested theatre of conflict between ethnic armed […]
Thai FM says pressed Iran on Hamas hostages
BANGKOK, Nov 3, 2023 (AFP) – Thailand’s foreign minister said Friday he had pressed his Iranian counterpart over the fate of 23 Thais taken hostage by Palestinian militant group Hamas in its attack on Israel. Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara travelled to Qatar and Egypt this week for talks on the hostages, and met his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Doha, urging him to use Tehran’s links with Hamas to help secure the release of Thai nationals. Israeli […]
Myanmar military will hit back at ethnic armed groups’ offensive: junta chief
YANGON, Myanmar, Nov 3, 2023 (AFP) – Myanmar’s junta chief said the military will strike back at ethnic armed groups waging an offensive in the north of the country, seizing towns and blocking trade routes to China, state media reported Friday. Fighting has raged for a week across a wide swathe of Shan state in what analysts say is the biggest military challenge to the junta since it seized power in 2021. The Myanmar National […]
Thailand held direct hostage talks with Hamas in Iran: negotiator
BANGKOK, Nov 2, 2023 (AFP) – Thai officials held direct talks with Hamas in Iran last week over the fate of 22 of the kingdom’s nationals taken hostage by the Palestinian militant group in its attack on Israel, the head of the Thai delegation said. Negotiators met Hamas officials in Tehran on October 26 and were given a pledge that the Thais would be released at the “right time”, Areepen Uttarasin told reporters in Bangkok […]
6.1-magnitude quake hits Indonesia’s Timor island: USGS
KUPANG, Indonesia, Nov 1, 2023 (AFP) – A 6.1-magnitude quake hit the eastern Indonesia island of Timor on Thursday, shaking the provincial capital and forcing residents to run outside, US seismologists said. The quake struck at a depth of 36.1 kilometres (22.5 miles) on the west of Timor island near the city of Kupang, according to the US Geological Survey. Indonesia’s geophysics agency, or BMKG, said the quake had a higher magnitude of 6.6. The […]
Living in extraordinary times! ASEAN in Focus – November 1, 2023
Flooding, heavy rain kill three in Vietnam
HANOI, November 1, 2023 (AFP) – Three people died after days of heavy rain in central and north Vietnam that flooded homes and submerged roads, disaster management authorities said Tuesday. Access to several communities in central Ha Tinh province has been cut off, while the police and military have been mobilised to rescue people from high-risk areas. A woman and a 13-year-old boy were found dead in the province after being swept away by strong […]
Living in extraordinary times! ASEAN In Focus – OCT 31, 2023
https://youtube.com/live/2HZ4NIYsqmw
Thai FM travels to Qatar, Egypt for Hamas hostage talks
BANGKOK, Oct 31, 2023 (AFP) – Thailand’s foreign minister begins an urgent visit to Qatar and Egypt on Tuesday for talks on the fate of 22 Thais taken hostage by Hamas in its attack on Israel. Israeli authorities say more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, were killed in an attack launched by the Palestinian militant group on October 7 from the Gaza Strip. In response, the Israeli military has pounded Gaza, where the Hamas-controlled health […]
Four people killed in Philippine village elections
By Cecil Morella and Pam Castro MANILA, Oct 30, 2023 (AFP) – At least four people were killed in the restive southern Philippines on Monday as millions turned out to vote for village leaders following months of deadly poll-related violence. Security forces were on high alert across the country for the long-delayed nationwide vote for more than 336,000 council positions. While villages are the lowest-level government unit, the council posts are hotly contested because they […]