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by Sophie Deviller and Pitcha Dangprasith BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Hotels, street food carts and tuk-tuks are gearing up for the return of tourists to Bangkok as Thailand prepares to re-open on November 1 to fully vaccinated visitors after 18 months of Covid travel curbs. But the steamy metropolis, the world’s most-visited city before the pandemic, will take some time to get back to its pulsating, intoxicating old self, industry experts say. The coronavirus pandemic […]
by Hakim S. Hayat BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei (AFP) — Myanmar’s junta boycotted a Southeast Asian summit Tuesday after its chief was banned from the event, deepening the regime’s isolation nine months after it took power in a bloody coup. The virtual gathering kicked off three days of meetings hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with US President Joe Biden as well as Chinese and Russian leaders set to attend. Myanmar topped […]
YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Myanmar’s junta threatened on Monday to skip an ASEAN summit after the bloc said the country’s military chief could not attend over doubts about the government’s commitment to defusing a bloody crisis. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the generals ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a February coup, triggering nationwide protests and a violent crackdown on dissent. Earlier this month the Association of Southeast Asian Nations — under […]
BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Myanmar’s junta has re-arrested more than 100 anti-coup protesters freed in a recent amnesty, according to a local monitoring group that tracks detentions and killings in the country. The Southeast Asian nation has been in chaos since the February coup, with more than 1,100 killed in a crackdown on dissent and over 8,000 arrested, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). On Monday, the military announced it would free […]
SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — Singapore on Tuesday began quarantine-free entry for fully vaccinated passengers from eight countries, part of a plan to ease restrictions as the business hub gears up to live with the coronavirus. The latest easing expanded a programme that began with vaccinated air travel lanes with Germany and Brunei last month, and is now open to passengers from the United States, Canada, Britain, Denmark, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands. Singapore Airlines […]
YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Myanmar’s junta chief Monday announced the release of more than 5,000 people jailed for protesting against a February coup, days after a regional bloc delivered a major snub to the military regime. There has been chaos in Myanmar since the coup, with more than 1,100 civilians killed in a bloody crackdown on dissent and more than 8,000 arrested, according to a local monitoring group. More than 7,300 are currently behind […]
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei (AFP) == Myanmar’s junta chief will be excluded from an upcoming ASEAN summit, the group said Saturday, a rare rebuke as concerns rise over the military government’s commitment to defusing a bloody crisis. Foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed at an emergency meeting late Friday that Min Aung Hlaing would not be invited to the October 26-28 summit, current ASEAN chair Brunei said. The bloc, widely […]
by Thanaporn PROMYAMYAI BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Thailand plans to fully re-open to vaccinated tourists from countries deemed low risk from November 1, the country’s leader said Monday, citing the urgent need to save the kingdom’s ailing economy. Before the pandemic, Thailand attracted nearly 40 million visitors a year drawn to its picturesque beaches and robust nightlife, with tourism making up almost 20 percent of its national income. But Covid-related travel restrictions have left the […]
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysia eased domestic and international travel curbs on Sunday for those fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, as a fierce outbreak slows and inoculation rates rise. The Southeast Asian nation had faced its worst Covid-19 wave in recent months, prompting authorities to impose a tough nationwide lockdown. But with case numbers falling and the inoculation rollout picking up speed, authorities began lifting curbs, with businesses allowed to reopen and workers slowly […]
YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — The United Nations voiced alarm Friday at Myanmar’s military junta deploying heavy weapons and troops to particular townships, fearing for the civilian population. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said the deployment of two high-ranking commanders represented a worrying escalation in the situation. “Alarming reports indicate that there has been substantial deployment of heavy weapons and troops by the Myanmar military, the Tatmadaw, over the past few […]
BANDAR SERI BAGAWAN, Brunei (AFP) — Southeast Asian nations are discussing whether to exclude Myanmar’s junta chief from a summit due to slow progress on a plan to address turmoil after a coup in the country earlier this year, a top diplomat said Wednesday. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has been under pressure to address unrest in the aftermath of the military power grab in February and a subsequent crackdown on dissent. But […]
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia will reopen the resort island of Bali to select international travellers next week, a senior minister said, after the pandemic starved the holiday hotspot of one of its primary sources of income. The island’s Ngurah Rai International Airport will be open to international travelers from South Korea, China, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Dubai, and New Zealand as of October 14, maritime and investment minister Luhut Panjaitan told a […]
