By Aidan Jones Thailand’s slump in visitors from China has become so acute that Chinese tourism workers in Phuket are learning English for the first time to attract new customers, according to a boat tour organiser. Chanchanat Boonlon said her catamaran business was once a cash cow, fully booked each day during high season by […]
Read MoreBy Maria Siow A visit by a United States warship to a Cambodian port built with major Chinese backing has underscored Phnom Penh’s superpower balancing act, but observers say American concerns will linger over the facility’s usage being dominated by Beijing. The USS Cincinnati arrived on Saturday at Ream Naval Base as part of a […]
Read MoreCUCUTA, Colombia, Jan 29, 2026 : Investigators were battling thick fog in the Colombian mountains Thursday to reach the site of a plane crash that killed all 15 people on board, including a politician. Images shared online show the wreckage of the fuselage surrounded by bushes and mud. Locals and farmers were the first to […]
Read MoreBy Aisyah Llewellyn Concerns about baby trafficking networks in Indonesia have resurfaced amid renewed scrutiny of cross-border adoptions involving Singapore, with experts warning that illegal syndicates continue to exploit economic vulnerability and gaps in enforcement. The issue has drawn particular attention in Singapore following allegations that infants were trafficked from Indonesia into the city state […]
Read MoreCEBU, Philippines: Southeast Asian countries should steadfastly maintain restraint and adhere to international law as acts of aggression across Asia and “unilateral actions” elsewhere in the world threaten the rules-based global order, Manila’s top diplomat said Thursday. Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro did not provide details of the geopolitical alarm she raised before her counterparts […]
Read MoreBy Sam Beltran As foreign ministers from Asean member states gathered in the Philippine city of Cebu this week, the bloc faced a familiar dilemma: how to keep pushing for peace in Myanmar without sliding into what critics warn could become “de facto acceptance” of its military regime. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) […]
Read MoreBy Iman Muttaqin Yusof Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has given Malaysia’s top enforcement officials a week to prove they are serious about stamping out corruption and smuggling, warning that those who feel they are unable to deliver should step aside. “My patience is wearing thin,” Anwar said, urging the officials to declare within seven days […]
Read MoreBy Joseph Sipalan A Malaysian minister has become the butt of jokes for claiming that work stress can turn people gay, as continued government intervention of what it describes as sexually deviant behaviour piles pressure on the country’s LGBTQ community. The enforcement spotlight fell on Malaysia’s sexual minorities two weeks ago after religious authorities and […]
Read MoreBy Resty Woro Yuniar The appointment of President Prabowo Subianto’s nephew to the leadership of Bank Indonesia (BI) has reignited debate over whether Southeast Asia’s largest economy can preserve the central bank’s independence – a question closely watched by foreign investors and currency markets. While some analysts warned that any perception the central bank could […]
Read MoreCEBU, Philippines: Southeast Asia’s top diplomats met Wednesday under growing pressure to push a peace plan that has so far failed to end Myanmar’s civil war, to beat a deadline to conclude talks on a nonaggression pact with China this year. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a diverse 11-national bloc, has struggled to project […]
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