ASEAN
- Thailand News
Is poor English proficiency holding Thailand back?
The government of Thailand has been working hard to make it a world-class destination for not just tourists, but digital nomads and business and technology innovators. But do the people of Thailand speak English well enough to fully attract these business opportunities? Thailand is ranked second to last among the countries that make up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations…
- World News
Myanmar junta’s release of political prisoners may not be indicative of a changing mindset
Myanmar’s National Unity Government foreign minister is warning the international community over the recent military’s release of 402 political inmates. Daw Zin Mar Aung’s warning contradicted the ASEAN special envoy for Myanmar’s embracement of the act by saying such a move cannot be regarded as a change in the junta’s mindset. “I would like to warn the international community not…
- World News
Thai visitors to Japan up fourfold
Thai visitors to Japan are up 26,000. The number of Thai people holidaying in Japan increased from 7,600 in September to 34,000 this month as Japan ended its Covid-19 restrictions and eased visa rules. At least a million Thais are expected to visit in 2023. President of the Thai-Japan Tourist Association Anake Srishevachart expects Japan to welcome more than 100,000…
- World News
Cambodian PM Hun Sen contracts Covid-19 prior to APEC Summit in Thailand
The Prime Minister of Cambodia Hun Sen tested positive for Covid-19 today meaning he will not be able to attend the APEC Summit in Bangkok this week as planned. He has had close contact with numerous world leaders in the past week. Hun Sen reported the positive test result this morning after hosting the ASEAN Summit in Cambodia between November…
- China News
Academics in Thailand welcome President Xi’s third term
Academics in Thailand welcomed news yesterday that Chinese leader President Xi Jinping secured an historic third five-year term as general secretary of the ruling Chinese Communist Party. President Xi’s third term will be viewed as undemocratic and autocratic by the Western powers but Thailand’s top boffins believe continuation is the key which will benefit the kingdom and ASEAN countries. Thai…
- World News
SE Asia foreign ministers to hold emergency talks over Myanmar
Foreign ministers of Southeast Asian countries are set to hold emergency talks over the current state of Myanmar. The talks will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia next week ahead of next month’s ASEAN leaders’ summit in Cambodia. Myanmar has descended into chaos since the military took over in February 2021. Now, reports say there are more than 2,300 killed during…
- World News
Thai university rankings slide, Singapore first in ASEAN
The latest Times Higher Education report has seen Thailand’s universities slide in rankings with Singapore coming out on top in Southeast Asia. According to the Bangkok Post, Thailand’s rankings were lower than those of tertiary institutions in Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Brunei. The report listed the kingdom’s four best universities in the 801-1,000 band: Chulalongkorn University King Mongkut’s…
- Tourism News
Open road ahead – tourism board gives tips to travellers going it alone
A new self-drive tourism manual for ASEAN contains need-to-know information on driving in each country, as well as suggested tour routes, available for free download here. The guidebook was collectively produced by the 10 ASEAN countries. In Thailand, the Department of Tourism was the main coordinator. Yuthasak Supasorn, the Tourism Authority of Thailand Governor, said the manual for ASEAN’s self-drive…
- World News
Thailand happy to be pawn in US, China economic war
Thailand still appears to be a pawn in the ongoing economic war between the US and China – or is it? US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Thailand PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, and Foreign Affairs Minister, Don Pramudwinai, on Sunday, as part of his Southeast Asia tour. The Thai PM welcomed the US diplomat and stated his happiness in…
- World News
Malaysia’s Cabinet agrees to abolish mandatory death penalty
Malaysia’s Cabinet voted in favour of abolishing the mandatory death penalty. According to proposed changes to the law announced on Friday, the death penalty would not be abolished completely, but Malaysian judges would no longer be forced to issue the mandatory death penalty for 11 types of serious crimes, including drug offences, kidnapping, murder and terrorism. Malaysia’s parliament will still…
- World News
China opens naval base in Cambodia, officials go swimming together to celebrate
Despite experts predicting that ASEAN nations would not pick sides between the US and China, Cambodia seems to be cozying up to its powerful Chinese neighbour, with officials even going for a dip in the sea together. Cambodia’s Minister of Defense Tea Banh and Chinese Ambassador Wang Wentian were spotted bathing in the sea together after the opening ceremony of…
- World News
Singapore hails Thailand a leading digital nation in ASEAN
The Digital Economy and Society Minister, Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, travelled to Singapore yesterday to sign a digital partnership agreement with Singapore’s Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong. Chaiwut, together with the Thai ambassador to Singapore, and the Thai PM’s secretary, met with Gan Kim Yong and agreed to promote 8 items on the MoU agenda, including digital transformation, e-commerce policies,…
- Thailand News
Tesla registers as a company in Thailand
Tesla Company (Thailand) Ltd is now a registered company in Thailand, according to information found on the Department of Business Development’s website. The company registered today, on May 25, with an initial registration capital of 3 million baht. The primary purpose of Tesla in Thailand is to sell electric vehicles, or EVs. The company will also install and sell energy…
- World News
Malaysia targets tourists from Thailand
Now that Malaysia’s borders are open to fully vaccinated travellers, the country intends to develop its tourism industry by targeting Thai tourists in particular. At an event entitled “Tourism Malaysia Hybrid Seminar” held in Bangkok last Thursday, Thai and Malaysian officials exchanged ideas about how to promote and facilitate Thai travel to Malaysia. The “Tourism Malaysia Hybrid Seminar” held at…
- World News
ASEAN nations agree on mutual recognition of Covid-19 vaccination certificates
The Malaysian Health Ministry has confirmed that ASEAN nations will recognise each other’s Covid-19 vaccination certificates, in a bid to facilitate cross-border travel. Malaysia’s Deputy Health Minister, Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang, says the agreement was reached at a meeting of ASEAN health ministers in Bali at the weekend. According to an Asia News Network report, he says ASEAN members have…
- World News
Laos experiencing a petrol crisis due to high inflation
The Lao government denied there was a national petrol crisis despite calling an emergency meeting and hours’ long queues witnessed throughout the country’s filling stations. The government, who import the majority of its petroleum from Thailand, scheduled an emergency meeting to discuss the country’s inflation, panic buying and why a large number of petrol stations were closed last week in…
- World News
Opening ceremony of SEA Games set for Thursday
After a 6-month hiatus, the Southeast Asian Games, or SEA Games, is now set to kick off on Thursday in Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital city. The sports tournament, which takes place every 2 years, attracts thousands of athletes from South East Asian countries, who will compete for over 500 gold medals. The SEA Games are under the regulation of the Southeast…
- World News
Malaysia watches more pornography than any other Asian country, study reveals
As cases of Covid-19 surged around the world, so did consumption of pornography. Lockdowns and restrictions necessary to combat the pandemic encouraged more and more people to search for adult entertainment online. In a recent survey conducted by Pornhub, Malaysia was found to be the #1 country in Asia with the most visits to pornography websites. Globally, Malaysia was ranked…
- World News
Thailand won’t take sides in Russia – Ukraine war, says PM Prayut
Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha says that his upcoming visit to Washington for the US – ASEAN summit on Friday does not mean Thailand will choose sides in the Russia – Ukraine war. He says the purpose of the summit is to discuss economy, trade and investment in the region. However, Ukraine has requested that Southeast Asian nations suspend dialogue…
- World News
Vietnam reports first day with no Covid-19 deaths in nearly one year
Covid-19 cases have decreased significantly in both Vietnam and Thailand in recent weeks. On Tuesday, Vietnam reported 0 deaths from Covid-19 for the first time since July 25 last year, according to the Health Ministry. Vietnam’s once-strict entry requirements have mostly been dropped in an effort to boost the country’s weakened economy. According to the Bangkok Post, 100% of Vietnamese…
- World News
Thailand seeks Asean extradition convention to battle cybercrime in Southeast Asia
Thailand is seeking to ink a new regional extradition pact with 10 other Southeast Asian countries in a united effort to combat transnational crimes by 2024. Senior officials discussed the matter during a seminar about how to combat cybercrime at the Office of the Attorney General’s 129th anniversary meeting, the Bangkok Post reported. Thailand has seen an uptick in recent…
- World News
30,000 travellers entered Indonesia between January to February
With the relaxation of Covid-19 travel requirements, Indonesia saw an increase in foreign travellers arriving through their airports and seaports since the beginning of 2022, according to government data released on Friday. Figures from the statistics department revealed 33,600 travellers entered Indonesia through its main channels from January to February. Compared to the same time last year, the country saw…
- World News
Vietnam reopens borders to international tourism TODAY (a day late)
The Ides of March came and went without so much as a word on Vietnam’s much anticipated border reopening on March 15. But the news comes today, with the Ministry of Health officially announcing that foreign nationals entering Vietnam now only need to provide a negative Covid-19 test certificate to enter the country and will no longer be required to…
- World News
Singapore wants to attract highly skilled expats
Singapore has devised a new system to identify unusually high talent, or ‘super skills’ in expats. The system is points-based, and scores factors including education, skills, and how expats’ nationalities contribute to diversity in their company. It is set to start in September. Singapore’s Manpower Minister said business chambers and companies have welcomed the scheduled points system. He told Bloomberg Television the…
- World News
United States will invite ‘non-political’ Myanmar representative to summit
A spokesman for the US State Department announced yesterday that the United States supports ASEAN’s decision to invite a ‘non-political’ representative from Myanmar’s junta-ruled government to a summit in Washington this month. The spokesman said that it too will invite a ‘non-political’ representative from Myanmar, in order to hold the country accountable for not following a consensus about human rights…
- Thailand video news
Thailand News Update | Thailand Neutral Over Russian Invasion
The Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has announced that Thailand will maintain its neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The government source announced that at a meeting of cabinet ministers discussed the issue extensively yesterday following some 25 ambassadors based in Thailand pressuring the government to speak out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Addressing the meeting, the PM said that the long-standing…
- Thailand video news
Asia News Today | Japan to ease border controls & Fears of Cambodian surveillance
A new internet gateway in Cambodia, set to be launched today, is being delayed, apparently due to issues related to Covid 19 in the country. When enacted, all Internet traffic in Cambodia will be routed through the government-run National Internet Gateway, allowing authorities to monitor online activity, intercept and censor digital communications, and collect users’ personal data. But the Telecommunications…
- World News
Interpol turns down Myanmar military’s request to assist them counter “terrorism”
In response to the Myanmar military’s appeal to assist them in countering “terrorism” threats in the post-coup nation, the international police organisation Interpol turned down the request and said it will not intervene in any nation’s domestic political affairs. An Interpol spokesperson told CNA that the organisation does not comment on specific cases or operations of member countries unless in…
- World News
ASEAN called to reconsider its five-point consensus on solving the Myanmar crisis
Political experts called on ASEAN to reconsider its dialogue with the Myanmar military junta and urged it to get more help from the international community today as some say the bloc’s five-point consensus on solving the Myanmar crisis is “not working.” During the webinar “Myanmar: Year Zero Plus One” by Asia News Network earlier this week, a retired Thai ambassador,…
- World News
Myanmar: One year after the military coup and bloody crackdown
A year ago today, Myanmar’s military seized power of the government over what they say was a fraudulent election. The democratically elected State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi was ousted and detained, as well as other civilian leaders. The coup was met with backlash from the public, leading to a bloody crackdown by security forces that killed more than one…
