ASEAN IN FOCUS

China says sea clash with Philippines vessels ‘professional and restrained’

BEIJING, Aug 7, 2023 (AFP) – China said on Monday that a maritime clash in which it fired water cannon at Philippine vessels in the disputed South China Sea was “professional and restrained”. A foreign ministry spokesperson said a Chinese coast guard ship “lawfully stopped” two Philippine vessels, adding: “This professional and restrained on-site operation is beyond reproach.” The incident happened on Saturday as the Philippine Coast Guard escorted charter boats carrying food, water, fuel […]

Why is a rusty Philippine warship involved in the South China Sea dispute?

By Cecil MORELLA MANILA, Aug 7, 2023 (AFP) – A crumbling World War II-era Philippine navy vessel stranded on a submerged reef in the South China Sea has long been a flashpoint between Manila and Beijing in their territorial dispute over the waters. Tensions flared again on Saturday when the China Coast Guard allegedly blocked and fired water cannon at Philippine vessels seeking to deliver food, fuel and water to Filipino troops stationed on the […]

Cambodian king to appoint Hun Sen’s son as new PM

PHNOM PENH, Aug 6, 2023 (AFP) – Cambodia’s king on Monday will appoint Hun Manet the country’s new leader after his father Hun Sen calls time on nearly four decades of hardline rule. Days after a landslide victory in July’s election, Hun Sen — one of the world’s longest-serving leaders — announced he was stepping down as prime minister and handing power to his eldest son. The polls were widely decried as a sham after […]

Philippines accuses China Coast Guard of firing water cannon at its boats

  MANILA, Aug 6, 2023 (AFP) – The Philippines condemned the China Coast Guard Sunday for allegedly firing water cannon at its vessels in the disputed South China Sea, describing the actions as “illegal” and “dangerous”. The latest incident happened Saturday as the Philippine Coast Guard escorted boats carrying food, water, fuel and other supplies for Filipino military personnel stationed at Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands. In a statement, the US State Department […]

Ex-PM Thaksin delays return to Thailand

BANGKOK, Aug 5, 2023 (AFP) – Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra said Saturday he would delay by two weeks his return to the kingdom after 15 years of self-exile. The 74-year-old billionaire, who won two elections but was ousted in a 2006 military coup, has long said that he wished to return home — but faces multiple criminal charges that he says are politically motivated. On Saturday, Thaksin said that he would delay his […]

Philippines defense secretary Teodoro visits airbase used by US

The Philippines’ Secretary of National Defense Gilbert Teodoro visits the Lal-lo airport in the north of the country, which is being used as a base by both Filipino and US military aircraft carrying aid as part of a joint disaster response to Typhoon Doksuri. Lal-lo is one of the sites open for use by US troops as part of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement — a deal that allows US forces to rotate through and […]

Thai freight train hits truck, killing eight

BANGKOK, Aug 4, 2023 (AFP) – Eight people were killed on Friday when a freight train hit a pick-up truck trying to cross the tracks in central Thailand, the kingdom’s railway agency said. The crash took place around 2:20 am (1920 GMT Thursday) at an unauthorised crossing in Chachoengsao province, east of Bangkok, the State Railway of Thailand said in a statement. The train driver had sounded his warning horn as he approached the crossing […]

US says concerned over Chinese reclamation in Manila Bay

MANILA, Aug 2, 2023 (AFP) – US diplomats have raised security and environmental concerns with the Philippines over the involvement of a Chinese company in a land reclamation project in Manila Bay, a US embassy spokesman said Wednesday. A subsidiary of China Communications Construction Co, which was blacklisted by Washington in 2020, has been contracted to reclaim 318 hectares (786 acres) in waters fronting the US embassy and Philippine Navy headquarters, the Philippine Reclamation Authority […]

Myanmar junta cuts six years from Suu Kyi’s 33-year jail term

YANGON, Aug 1, 2023 (AFP) – Myanmar reduced ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s 33-year prison sentence by six years in a partial pardon on Tuesday, as the junta struggles to quell bloody resistance to its rule. The country has been ravaged by violence in the two years since Suu Kyi was deposed in a coup and hit with 19 criminal cases ranging from corruption to breaching Covid-19 rules. There have been concerns for […]

Winning party in Thai election excluded from coalition

BANGKOK, Aug 2, 2023 (AFP) – The reformist party that won Thailand’s general election was excluded Wednesday from a coalition trying to form the next government, as lawmakers seek to overcome resistance from military and pro-royalist senators. The Move Forward Party (MFP) won the most seats in May’s election, riding a wave of support from young and urban Thais weary of almost a decade of army-backed rule, but it fell well short of a majority. […]

US ‘deeply concerned’ as Myanmar junta extends emergency

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States is “deeply concerned” by the decision from Myanmar’s ruling junta to extend the country’s state of emergency for six months, a State Department spokesman said Monday. The extension, announced earlier in the day, spelled a delay for elections the military had pledged to hold in August as it battles anti-coup fighters across the country. “The United States is deeply concerned by the Burma military regime’s extension of […]

Pampanga placed under state of calamity

The entire province of Pampanga has been placed under a state of calamity by the Provincial Board, following the endorsement of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC), headed by Governor Dennis “Delta” Pineda. The measure was approved in light of the consequences brought about by the southwest monsoon, which was further intensified by the impacts of typhoons Egay and Falcon. (Provincial Information Office of Pampanga / Eagle News)