ASEAN IN FOCUS

High waves kill 10 during Indonesia beach ritual

  JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — At least 10 Indonesians died after tidal waves swept away a group of people meditating on a beach during Sunday’s early hours, police said. The group of 23 people was holding hands and meditating on Payangan beach, East Java province, shortly after midnight. “They were too close to the sea and could not save themselves when the tidal waves came and swept them away,” local police chief Hery Purnomo told […]

Myanmar junta to free over 800 prisoners

  YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Myanmar’s junta on Saturday announced an amnesty for more than 800 prisoners to mark the country’s Union Day, as it held a parade and show of force in the capital. The country has been in turmoil since last year’s coup, with mass protests and a subsequent military crackdown that has killed more than 1,500 civilians, according to the UN’s human rights office. Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing issued the “pardon […]

Indonesia starts testing homegrown Covid-19 vaccine on humans

SURABAYA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia began testing a homegrown Covid-19 vaccine on humans Wednesday after getting the green light from the drug regulator as the country faces a rising wave of virus cases. Research on the “Merah Putih” (“Red White”) vaccine — named after the colours of the Indonesian national flag — is led by Airlangga University and Biotis Pharmaceutical Indonesia. The project has suffered delays since starting in 2020, but authorities are now hoping […]

Indonesia bus crash kills 13, injures dozens

SOLO, Indonesia (AFP) — At least 13 people were killed and dozens more injured after a tour bus carrying factory workers to a beach holiday crashed on Indonesia’s Java island, according to police. The bus and its 47 passengers were headed from Sukoharjo in Central Java to a family gathering in neighbouring Yogyakarta province when the driver lost control going downhill, officers said late Sunday. “Witnesses we questioned said they saw the driver panicking as […]

Myanmar’s Suu Kyi back in court after health no-show

Ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi returned to a junta court on Friday after skipping a previous hearing because she felt unwell, a source with knowledge of the case said. Suu Kyi has been detained since her civilian government was ousted in a coup last year that triggered mass protests and a bloody military crackdown, with more than 1,500 civilians killed, according to a local monitoring group. Cut off from the world except for […]

ASEAN urges ‘immediate’ end to Myanmar violence

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AFP) — The Association of Southeast Asian Nations urged an “immediate” end to violence in Myanmar on Wednesday and for the junta to allow a special envoy tasked with facilitating talks to visit as soon as possible. The 10-nation regional bloc has led diplomatic efforts to end the chaos unleashed in Myanmar by coup last year, which triggered mass protests and a deadly crackdown on dissent. But violence has continued, with anti-junta […]

Myanmar shadow govt nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

  OSLO, Norway (AFP) — Myanmar’s self-proclaimed shadow government has been nominated for the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian lawmaker behind the proposal said on Tuesday, the anniversary of the military coup that deposed Aung San Suu Kyi. “I have nominated Myanmar’s ‘National Unity Government’ for the Nobel Peace Prize. It’s the only legitimate government in Myanmar”, Ola Elvestuen, a member of parliament for the small Liberal Party, told AFP. The National Unity Government […]

Myanmar shuts shop to defy junta on coup anniversary

Streets emptied and shops shuttered across Myanmar on Tuesday as people defied junta orders to go about their business with a silent strike on the first anniversary of the military coup. The junta that ended the Southeast Asian country’s brief democratic interlude and toppled civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi has triggered mass protests and a crackdown on dissent. Struggling to contain the backlash and contending with daily clashes, the military has killed more than […]

Myanmar’s Suu Kyi: Prisoner of generals

YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Myanmar’s latest democracy struggle enters its second year with its best-known figurehead, Aung San Suu Kyi, isolated from the fight, a prisoner of the generals behind the coup and facing the rest of her life in prison. The Nobel laureate has been held since the putsch that ousted her government in the early hours of February 1 last year, ending a brief democratic interlude for the country and sparking huge protests. […]

Malaysian floods caused $1.4 bn in losses: government

  KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Devastating floods that hit Malaysia in recent weeks caused about $1.4 billion in losses, with widespread damage to homes, businesses and factories, the country’s statistics department said on Friday. Heavy monsoon rains triggered the country’s worst flooding in years from mid-December to early January, with about 50 people killed and 125,000 forced from their homes. The disaster caused losses amounting to 6.1 billion ringgit ($1.45 billion), the government’s statistics […]

At least 19 dead after clash, fire at club in Indonesia’s West Papua

  SORONG, Indonesia (AFP) — At least 19 people were killed in a clash at a nightclub in the town of Sorong in Indonesia’s West Papua province, police said Tuesday, with most dying after the venue caught fire. One victim was stabbed and 18 more died in the blaze at the Double O nightclub, officials said. “The clash broke out last night (Monday) at 11 pm. It was a prolonged conflict from a clash on […]

Seven injured in US F-35 incident in South China Sea

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Seven US sailors were injured Monday in a Navy F-35C fighter “landing mishap” on an aircraft carrier in the South China Sea, the Navy said. The accident occurred while the F-35C Lightning II, a stealth combat aircraft, was attempting to land on the USS Carl Vinson during routine flight operations, the US Pacific Fleet said in a statement. The pilot of the aircraft was in stable condition after ejecting and […]