By Aidan Jones The first day of voting in Myanmar’s three-stage election was held on Sunday, a process decried as a charade with the most popular pro-democracy party banned and up to half the war-torn country unable to vote. In the capital, Naypyidaw, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing cast his vote in an election he […]
Read MoreOvershadowed by civil war and doubts about the credibility of the polls, voters in Myanmar were casting their ballots in a general election starting today (28 December), the first since a military coup toppled the last civilian government in 2021. The junta that has since ruled Myanmar says the vote is a chance for a […]
Read MoreBy Aidan Jones Taya says her life was looking up as Myanmar crept out from decades of isolation. She had a job in marketing, enough money to shop in Yangon’s new retail plazas and fuel her quiet dreams of opening a small bakery, as her generation enjoyed unprecedented economic and personal freedoms. But that was […]
Read MorePHNEM PENG: Cambodia accused Thailand on Friday of intensifying its bombardment of disputed border areas, even as officials from the two countries attend a multi-day meeting aimed at negotiating an end to deadly clashes. The neighbors’ long-standing border conflict reignited this month, shattering an earlier truce and killing more than 40 people, according to official […]
Read MoreBy Ushar Daniele Rashid arrived on the Malaysian island of Langkawi as a young child after spending weeks at sea in a fishing boat crammed with Myanmar’s unwanted: Rohingya Muslims driven out by soldiers and ethnic Buddhist militias who had razed their villages. A decade on, the now 14-year-old has witnessed countless boats arrive on the […]
Read MoreMyanmar will hold a third phase of voting for its general election on 25 January, according to an announcement on state media today (26 December), outlining a poll plan that comes amid a raging civil war in the Southeast Asian nation. The first two phases of voting are set to take place on 28 December […]
Read MoreJailed former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was found guilty on Friday of abuse of power in the biggest trial yet linked to the multibillion-dollar 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, a ruling that could have major political repercussions. The judge, however, has yet to complete the full reading of the verdict and announce sentencing. Malaysia […]
Read MorePHNOM PENH: Cambodia said Thailand’s military on Thursday bombed the casino town of Poipet, a major crossing between the two nations, as foreign powers pressured them to halt reignited border clashes. Thai forces “dropped two bombs in the area of Poipet Municipality, Banteay Meanchey Province” at around 11:00 am (0400 GMT) Thursday, the Cambodian defense […]
Read MoreBy Iman Muttaqin Yusof A newly opened shopping centre in Malaysia has reversed an attempt to brand its indoor space as pet-friendly after an online backlash, a reaction that underscores the sensitivities around dogs in public spaces in the Muslim-majority country. Sunway Square Mall in Selangor, which opened on December 12, said on Thursday that […]
Read MoreBy Raissa Robles Washington is set to deepen its defence support for the Philippines after approving billions of dollars for a loan and a grant to its Southeast Asian ally next year to counter what an American senator has called “serious threats” from China and its partners. Philippine defence officials have welcomed the approval by […]
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