News
Who should be afraid of the Belt and Road? China
As a line on a map, Malaysia’s East Coast Rail Link makes sense. Slashing diagonally across the peninsula from Port Klang at one end to the port of Kuantan and towns north at the other, the project looks well-situated to encourage travel and commerce, and ...
China and Japan’s power struggle is good news for Southeast Asia
The Japan-China rivalry in Southeast Asia is good for the economic development and strategic autonomy of Southeast Asian states. This is particularly so for the poorer countries of the region that harbour the greatest fears of becoming solely dependent on China. Keep reading ...
Refugees’ citizenship demands ‘impossible’: Myanmar govt
Administrators in northern Rakhine State say it would be “impossible” for the government to agree to Rohingya refugees’ citizenship demands, in a further sign that Rohingya repatriation is likely to proceed slowly – if at all. Repatriation of up to 2,200 verified refugees from Bangladesh ...
Indigenous youth take lead protecting threatened communities
The young people sitting together in a classroom at Chiang Mai University came from countries across the region, yet they do not only identify as Cambodian, Lao, Myanmar, Thai or Vietnamese. Keep reading ...
Ten ASEAN Nations On Track For 5.2% Overall Growth Rate This Year - IMF Report
The ten members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are achieving overall booming growth rates of 5.2 percent this year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in a report on Thursday. “The member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) continue to ...
ASEAN’s shifting attitudes towards LGBT rights
Last year, Taiwan’s apex court ruled that the definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman under Taiwan’s civil law is against their constitution, which effectively means that Taiwan is the first country in Asia to legalise gay marriage. This year, ...
Rohingya crisis, Suu Kyi under the microscope at Southeast Asia summit
The customary cordiality of Southeast Asian summits may be missing when the region’s leaders meet next week due to sharp differences over Myanmar, whose military has been accused of genocide against the country’s Rohingya Muslim minority. Keep reading ...
China Focus: Wider opening-up brings closer ties with Asian neighbors
A grain of jasmine rice “jumps” to a freighter in Cambodia. It, together with thousands of its companions, will arrive in China in about a week. The jasmine rice from Cambodia sells very well in Yunnan, a border province in southwestern China. As a gateway ...
Burmese Migrant Women at Risk in Thailand
Discriminatory practices are holding Burmese migrant women back. “The Burma government doesn’t care that people come to Thailand for work. Sometimes I feel like I want to go home but it’s not any better in Burma. It’s difficult in Thailand, but in Burma there is ...
Mekong delta needs to prevent early floods from high tides
According to the National Hydrology Meteorology Forecast Center, water level on the Nine Dragon River has rapidly increased due to high tide. Currently, the water level on Tien River at Tan Chau Station, and Hau River at Chau Doc Station reaches at 2.37 meters. The center ...
