Southeast Asia
Dozens of Rohingya saved from being trafficked to Malaysia

PHOTO: Desperate Rohingyas try to flee Bangladesh on flimsy rafts – UNHCR
Bangladeshi police say that they’ve stopped dozens of Rohingya Muslims from being trafficked to Malaysia by boat. Most of the ‘boat people’ were women according to the Reuters report.
Human traffickers had convinced at least 69 Rohingya to leave the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar. The camps had been set up in the wake of the Burmese Army’s purge on Rohingya in the Rhakine State following raids in August 2017. 700,000 Rohingya crossed in Bangladesh following the raids causing a refugee crisis along the border between Bangladesh and the Rhakine state of Myanmar.
The traffickers were promising work in Malaysia where many Rohingya have been forced to flee. No traffickers were arrested in the raid by Bangladeshi Police.
Rohingya Muslims have been fleeing the region in recent months in attempts to reach Malaysia by boat.
The UNHCR estimated that 25,000 Rohingya have taken boats through the Andaman Sea bound for Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia since 2015. Many of the Rohingya boat people drown or die during the journeys or are handed over to corrupt officials who sell them on to other traffickers.
Police did not arrest any traffickers.
More than 700,000 Rohingya crossed into Bangladesh in 2017 fleeing an army crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, according to U.N. agencies.
SOURCE: Reuters
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Find more SE Asian News courtesy of The Thaiger.
Broke? Find employment in Southeast Asia with JobCute Thailand. Rich? Invest in real estate across Asia with FazWaz Property Group. Even book medical procedures worldwide with MyMediTravel, all powered by DB Ventures.

Thailand
Myanmar cancels Thai investment in the Dawei Special Economic Zone

The Dawei Special Economic Zone Management Committee has announced the cancellation on the deep seaport project contract with Italian-Thai Development (ITD), one of Thailand’s leading industrial firms, by saying that they “lost confidence” in the company after long, controversial issues.
The Dawei Special Economic Zone Management Committee said that the Thai company has caused them “repeated delays, continuing breaches of financial obligations under the contracts and the concessionaires’ failure to confirm their financial capacity to proceed with development”.
They say they will look for new development partners to continue the projects. Currently, there are still no comments from ITD.
The Dawei Special Economic Zone is Myanmar’s initiative to encourage international investments into the country, but the project has been delayed because of funding problems and local opposition.
SOURCE: Thai PBS World
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Indonesia
UPDATE: At least 34 dead and 600 injured after Indonesia earthquake

UPDATE: At least 34 people were killed after a 6.2 magnitude earthquake shook Indonesia’s Sulawesi island just after midnight today. As of this evening, reports say more than 600 people were injured during the earthquake which caused buildings to collapse and residents to flee their homes in the dark.
Original story below…
Indonesian island Sulawesi was shook by a 6.2 magnitude earthquake shortly after midnight today, toppling over buildings and injuring hundreds. Reports are continuously being updated as rescuers search through rubble. As of early this afternoon, at least 10 people were killed.
Thousands evacuated their homes in West Sulawesi. The earthquake impacted the coastal city Majene where at least 3 people died and neighbouring Mamuju where at least 7 people died. Several buildings, including hotels, were severely damaged and many homes were flattened. A hospital was partially damaged and reports say more than a dozen patients and staff were trapped under the rubble. Others are trapped in rubble after their homes collapsed. A rescuer says “We are racing against time to rescue them.”
Videos have been released of those crying for help. A father crying, calling out for help to save his children under their home’s wreckage. In another, a girl’s voice cried out from a collapsed home, saying “please help me, it hurts.” The video was released by the National Disaster Mitigation Agency. Rescuers say they need an excavator to say the girl and other people who are trapped under the collapsed buildings.
The area was first hit by a 5.9 magnitude undersea quake on Thursday. It damaged several buildings, but no deaths were reported.
Since the most recent earthquake is inland, the district’s disaster agency chief says it does not have the potential to cause a tsunami, but people in coastal areas ran to higher ground just to be safe.
The vast archipelago is located on the “Ring of Fire” of volcanoes and fault lines, prone to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis.
SOURCE: Associated Press
Catch up with the latest daily “Thailand News Today” here on The Thaiger.
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Indonesia
Indonesia rolls out Covid-19 vaccinations, president gets first dose

Indonesia is rolling out its mass Covid-19 vaccination campaign with President Joko Widodo as the first in the country to get jabbed with China’s Sinovac Biotech vaccine.
Indonesia approved the vaccine for emergency use earlier this week. It’s the first large-scale use of the Sinovac vaccine outside of China. Thailand has also made an agreement to purchase the 2 million doses of China’s Sinovac BioTech shots. The first batch of 200,000 doses is expected to arrive in Thailand next month.
The Thai company Siam Bioscience is producing AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine, which was developed in partnership with Oxford University. That vaccine is set to be available to the Thai public in May.
After Indonesia’s president was vaccinated, top military, police and medical officials in the country were injected with the vaccine. The secretary of the Indonesian Ulema Council were also vaccinated. The council recently agreed that the vaccine is halal, permissible for Muslims.
Mass vaccination in Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populated country with 181.5 million people, will be rolled out over the next few months. Vaccines will be free for all Indonesian citizens. Health care workers, civil servants and those at risk of infection are first priority.
To vaccinate two-thirds of the population with the 2-shot vaccine, the country’s health minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin says around 427 million doses are needed.
“This vaccine is given to achieve herd immunity. All 70% of the world’s people must be vaccinated for that to be achieved. The participation of all Indonesians will greatly determine the success of this program.”
SOURCE: Associated Press
Catch up with the latest daily “Thailand News Today” here on The Thaiger.
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
- Crime2 days ago
Australian man wanted for allegedly sexually abusing children in Thailand
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)3 days ago
Thailand’s PM says he won’t let Thais become vaccine “guinea pigs”
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)3 days ago
Thailand threw a tourism party. No one arrived.
- Bangkok3 days ago
BTS skytrain maximum fare rate increasing to 158 baht despite backlash
- Bangkok2 days ago
Police raid Bangkok restaurant, more than 80 people face charges for violating Emergency Decree
- Air Pollution3 days ago
Thailand on fire – NASA satellite website tracks the country’s farm fires
- Crime3 days ago
Police say at least 2 people to be arrested in Bangkok bomb attack – UPDATE
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)1 day ago
Record number of tourism firms quitting Covid-ravaged sector for good