Southeast Asia
- World News
It’s official: Vietnam will reopen to tourists on March 15
In a move made three months earlier than planned, Vietnam will completely reopen to tourists starting March 15. Visitors to the country will still have to quarantine for 24 hours, and test negative for Covid-19 before departure and upon arrival. The Vietnamese government said in a statement that the reopening is part of its new response to controlling Covid-19, which…
- World News
Taiwan to ease entry restrictions, cut quarantine to 10 days in March
Taiwan plans to relax its strict COVID-19 quarantine policy beginning in March, in order to reopen to the world and gradually resume normal life, the government said on Tuesday. Since the start of the pandemic, Taiwan has enforced a blanket two-week quarantine on everyone arriving to the island, even while its neighbours in Asia began implementing reopening strategies last year,…
- Events
Makha Bucha Day 2022: All about the public holiday in Thailand
For Thai Buddhists, Makha Bucha, also written Māgha Pūjā, is a day of abstinence, reflection and visits to the local temple, which culminate in picturesque candle-lit ceremonies in the evening. For those who don’t follow the Buddhist traditions, it’s a day of no alcohol sales. In fact, there is always a 24 hour alcohol ban imposed on the day, from…
- World News
Tourism officials in Vietnam push for a full reopening to foreign travellers on March 15
Vietnam plans to reopen borders for foreign travellers on March 15, although the date is not yet official. According to the local media outlet VN Express, a draft proposal is in the works to fully allow inbound and outbound tourism starting in mid-March. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is now getting input from relevant agencies before submitting the…
- World News
15 passengers denied entry at Philippines airport over vaccine certificates
Following its reopening of borders to fully-vaccinated visitors last week, the Philippines immigration reportedly denied entry to 15 Malaysians due to their vaccination in Malaysia yesterday. Their passports are reportedly being held and they will be deported from the Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport tomorrow. A passenger told The Star reporters that the Philippines immigration officials did not accept the…
- World News
Sharp rise in Southeast Asia flight bookings as countries ease border controls
Online flight search engine Skyscanner has reported a sharp rise in flight bookings for Southeast Asia as several countries ease border restrictions. This will come as welcome news to the region’s airlines, after international travel in Asia-Pacific plummeted 93% last year, compared to pre-pandemic levels. According to a Reuters report, many carriers are relying heavily on the cargo market to…
- World News
Indonesia purchases six Rafale fighter jets from France
The defence minister in Indonesia’s capital Jakarta says the country is buying six Rafale fighter jets, confirming that a deal was signed with France yesterday as part of an order of 42 warplanes. Jakarta is replacing its ageing fleet of warplanes, which are mostly American F-16 fighter jets and Russian Sukhoi fighter jets. Indonesia’s first order for French fighter jets…
- World News
Singapore’s Formula 1 Grand Prix takes steps to reduce carbon footprint this year
Organisers of Singapore’s Formula 1 Grand Prix are taking steps to reduce the event’s carbon footprint. One step is using sustainable fuels to replace fossil fuels as part of their sustainability goals in the upcoming night race at Marina Bay Sands this September. The tournament is reportedly developing its own 100% “sustainable” fuel, including components derived from carbon capture, municipal…
- World News
Philippines lifts travel ban, welcomes fully vaccinated tourists from 157 countries
The Philippines is welcoming fully vaccinated travellers from 157 countries with visa-free agreements as the Southeast Asian country has lifted its nearly two-year ban on foreign tourists. The 157 countries include the US, UK, Canada, Germany, and Russia. (Here’s a full list by Philippines Airlines.) Visitors are no longer required to quarantine upon arrival as a risk classification system that…
- World News
Villager in Indonesia rescues crocodile trapped in motorbike tyre for five years
A villager in Indonesia was about to free a crocodile of a motorbike tyre that had been stuck around its neck for more five years. Since 2016, conservationists have been trying to capture the crocodile to free him from the tyre, but had not been successful. But this week, a villager from Sulawesi island in the east of Borneo, along…
- World News
Singapore’s LGBT content ban slammed after gay kiss caught in news broadcast
In a Singaporean news broadcast on the Winter Olympics, it wasn’t the coverage that got the attention of viewers, it was what was happening in the background at the Beijing bar. Behind the Channel News Asia correspondent were two men passionately kissing, a taboo for Singaporeans where broadcasting laws prohibit LGBT content and homosexual relationships between men are illegal. Although…
- World News
Election campaigns kick off in the Philippines, Marcos Jr. a favourite
The campaign season in the Philippines leading up to the May presidential election kicked off this week. Channel News Asia says this season is candidates are running a “chaotic” and “colourful charm offensive” which is aimed at attracting the millions of voters who are “typically more interested in personality than policy.” Analysts have already foreseen the victory of Ferdinand “Bongbong”…
- World News
13 killed, dozens injured in Indonesia’s Java island bus crash
At least 13 people were killed in a bus crash on Indonesia’s Java island yesterday. Dozens of passengers, including young children, were injured. Many were factory workers on their way to a beach for a holiday trip. The bus carried 47 people travelling from Sukoharjo in Central Java to Yogyakarta for a family gathering. The driver lost control while driving…
- World News
Cambodian PM says false claims of Australian’s release in Myanmar was a “mistake”
Cambodian PM Hun Sen says his claims that the Myanmar military junta had released an Australian economist as per his request was an “unintentional mistake.” After authorities in Myanmar said the economic adviser, Sean Turnell, is still the Hun Sen admitted that he had been given the wrong information and had made a mistake. On his official Facebook page, the…
- World News
Indonesia tightens restrictions as Covid-19 cases rise in the capital
As the spread of the Omicron variant in Indonesia has led to a spike in cases in Jakarta, officials are tightening restrictions in the capital, Bali, Bandung in West Java, and Yogyakarta in Central Java. Reports initially said foreign tourists would be barred from entering Jakarta, but the transport minister released a statement today saying that tourists with the proper…
- World News
US President Biden vows to work with Cambodia to promote US-ASEAN relations
In order to improve ASEAN-US relations, President Joe Biden stated that his administration is looking forward to working with Cambodia as the ASEAN chair in promoting the bloc’s “regional architecture” for bilateral agreements and institutions at the core of the Indo-Pacific. Biden wrote a letter to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on January 14 saying that he intends to invite…
- World News
Thailand says Myanmar observers will not participate in Cobra Gold exercises
Myanmar military observers will not participate in this year’s 41st Cobra Gold military exercise, which will take place from February 20 to March 5, according to Lt Gen Chitchanok Nujjaya, Director of Joint Operations. He said the decision was made by both Thailand and the US since there was not enough time to prepare for Myanmar’s participation. Although there were…
- World News
Vietnam plans for full reopening in March or April, PM pushes for preparations
Following moves in other Southeast Asian countries to gradually reopen borders to foreign tourists, Vietnam is set to reopen to fully vaccinated tourists around March or April of this year. The country’s PM Pham Minh Chinh says the country needs to prepare to reopen safety, which will be either at the end of March or by the end of April,…
- World News
UPDATE: Indonesia welcomes fully vaxxed travellers with 5 day quarantine from today
Fully vaxxed and dreaming of white beaches? Starting from today, Indonesia welcomes you with a reduced quarantine of 5 days. You might even be able to book a direct flight to Bali this month, if you’re traveling from select countries. For those with a single jab, the duration of quarantine is reduced from 10 to 7 days. Ministry of Coordinating…
- World News
Myanmar sees rapid uptick of narcotics production, trafficking since coup
Illicit drug production and trafficking in Myanmar has rapidly increased since the February 2021 military coup, when Tatmadaw (Burmese army) seized power and overthrew the civilian, elected government. A senior official from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime says, that over the past year, there has been a spike in narcotics production, particularly methamphetamine, in the country’s Shan State…
- World News
Healthcare standards in Laos need to be improved, country’s health minister says
Health officials in Laos are being pushed to do a better job of increasing access to and enhancing the quality of the country’s public healthcare system, similar to how private hospitals and clinics operate. Although Laos has been able to protect people’s right to healthcare in recent years, and most people now have access to better quality health services, the…
- World News
US CDC issues Level 4: Very High Risk travel advisory for the Philippines
Although the Philippines is set to reopen its doors to fully vaccinated international visitors this month, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention of the US is advising its citizens not to travel to the Southeast Asian country due to a “very high level” of Covid-19 infections. The CDC released a statement that those planning to go to the Philippines…
- World News
Rights group calls on Thai government not to deport Laos activist
Rights groups have raised concerns over the deportation of a Laos human rights activist who is currently residing in Thailand as an UN-recognised refugee after he was arrested at Lak Si district police station in Bangkok on Saturday for allegedly overstaying his visa. Khoukham Keomanivong was found guilty of the charge and was transported to the immigration bureau after his…
- 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…
- World News
Smoke blankets over Laos capital Vientiane, landfill fire releases toxic fumes
Clouds of toxic smoke billowed over the Laos capital of Vientiane after a fire broke out at a landfill over the weekend, according to the local media outlet Laotian Times. Authorities have yet to issue a comment about what caused it. Smoke blanketed the skies in and surrounding the Xaythany District, causing locals to complain about the stink over the…
- World News
Regional low-cost carriers expand routes in Southeast Asia as travel slowly resumes
International flights in the Southeast Asia region continue to resume, with low-cost carriers expanding their routes as countries re-open. According to a TTR Weekly report, the Singapore Airlines subsidiary, Scoot, is resuming the Singapore – Ho Chi Minh route, with 4 round-trip flights a week. A twice-weekly service connecting Singapore and Hanoi is planned from February 22. Last week, Vietnam…
- World News
Laos workers to return Thailand as borders reopen for migrants from neighbouring countries
For the first time since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, Thailand will reopen its borders to migrant workers, especially from Laos, who are now granted permission to return to Thailand with the approval of their employers next week after a hiatus due to Covid-19. Reports say many people continue to cross the border illegally in search…
- World News
Spike in Covid clusters at Malaysia schools, many parents still concerned with vaccinating children
Covid-19 is on the rise at a number of schools in Malaysia following their reopenings and fingers are pointing at teachers and staff for not following and enforcing disease prevention rules like wearing a mask. The country’s health minister even says teachers with coronavirus symptoms are still coming to class. The cluster outbreaks at schools come just as the government is…
- World News
Indonesia vows to end Joke Widodo’s extension, says new president will be elected in 2024
The electoral commission of Indonesia declared today that Southeast Asia’s archipelago nation will see its next leader in February 2024, putting an end to rumours that President Joko Widodo may seek to prolong his second and constitutionally mandated last term. Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian, the General Election Commission, and members of the House of Representatives met earlier this week…
- World News
Cambodia PM invites Myanmar junta to the Summit if progress made on peace plan
Despite objections from his counterparts, Cambodia’s leader and incumbent chair of the 10 member bloc, PM Hun Sen, confirmed he had invited Myanmar’s junta chief Min Aung Hlaing to the next ASEAN summit if he makes progress on a peace plan he agreed to last year. Hun Sen reportedly spoke to the military head, Min Aung Hlaing, today via video…
