Category Archives: ASEAN

ASEAN, Thế giới

Russia’s war in Ukraine challenges old comrades in Southeast Asia

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Aljazeera – Vladimir Putin’s absence from the G20 Summit in Bali also undermines talk of a Russian pivot to the Asia-Pacific region.

Indonesian police line up during a security parade on November 7, 2022 in preparation for the G20 meeting in Bali, Indonesia.
Indonesian police line up during a security parade on November 7, 2022, in preparation for the G20 meeting in Bali, Indonesia [File: Firdia Lisnawati/AP] (AP Photo)

By Al Jazeera Staff

Published On 15 Nov 202215 Nov 2022

Russian President Vladimir Putin has oozed a casual resentment when describing the “irreversible and even tectonic changes” that he says have led the West to become a spent force in the world.

“Western countries are striving to maintain a former world order that is beneficial only to them,” he told attendees at the Eastern Economic Forum in the Russian city of Vladivostok in September.

Continue reading Russia’s war in Ukraine challenges old comrades in Southeast Asia →

ASEAN, Thế giới

Anti-Western and hyper macho, Putin’s appeal in Southeast Asia

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Aljazeera – Soviet-era nostalgia and anti-Western sentiment fuel online support for Russia’s Vladimir Putin and his war on Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin looks through the scope as he shoots a Chukavin sniper rifle (SVC-380) during a visit to the military Patriot Park in Kubinka, outside Moscow, in September 2018 [File: Alexey Nilkolsky/Sputnik/ AFP]
Russian President Vladimir Putin looks through a scope as he shoots a Chukavin sniper rifle (SVCh-380) during a visit to the military Patriot Park in Kubinka, outside Moscow, in September 2018 [File: Alexey Nilkolsky/Sputnik/ AFP]

By Al Jazeera Staff

Published On 18 Nov 202218 Nov 2022

While the West has united in condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, opinions differ markedly in parts of the developing world where Russia is not reviled but revered for what some see as its stance against the West and its hypocrisies.

In Southeast Asia, a region dominated for decades by “strongman” political leaders and where nostalgia for the Soviet Union persists in some quarters, Russian President Vladimir Putin has a strong following among social media users who are sympathetic to his invasion of Ukraine and find his macho self-image appealing.

Continue reading Anti-Western and hyper macho, Putin’s appeal in Southeast Asia →

ASEAN

ASEAN and China announce ACFTA upgrade

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ASEAN

PHNOM PENH, 13 November 2022 – The Leaders of ASEAN and China welcomed the official launch of negotiations for the upgrade of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA). The upgrade negotiations are meant to ensure that ACFTA contributes to the further deepening and broadening of ASEAN-China economic relations and to both region’s post-pandemic economic recovery. The announcement on the upgrade of the ACFTA was made at the 25th ASEAN-China Summit.

The ACFTA is ASEAN’s oldest FTA among its Dialogue Partners. Upgrading the ACFTA sends a signal to the private sector and all stakeholders that both ASEAN and China are committed to make the ACFTA more relevant to businesses, future-ready, and responsive to global challenges.

Continue reading ASEAN and China announce ACFTA upgrade →

ASEAN

Thailand and Vietnam emerge as ASEAN crypto trading hot spots

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Nikkei

Each country logs over $100bn transactions in a year, topping Singapore

Chainalysis said Thailand and Vietnam saw high web traffic to marketplaces for non-fungible tokens.   © Reuters

DYLAN LOH, Nikkei staff writerSeptember 21, 2022 19:00 JST

SINGAPORE — Thailand and Vietnam have become the top crypto trading hubs among the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, beating even financial center Singapore, which has been grappling with new legislation to control the nascent sector.

The two ASEAN members recorded over $100 billion each in crypto buying and selling values from July 2021 to June 2022, according to numbers published on Wednesday by blockchain data platform Chainalysis.

Continue reading Thailand and Vietnam emerge as ASEAN crypto trading hot spots →
ASEAN, Thông Tin

CPI 2021 for Asia Pacific: Grand corruption and lack of freedoms holding back progress

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Protest against the weakening of Indonesia’s anti-corruption agency. (Image: Kevin Herbian/Shutterstock.com)

transparency – 25 January 2022

While countries in Asia Pacific have made great strides in controlling bribery for public services, an average score of 45 out of 100 on the 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) shows much more needs to be done to solve the region’s corruption problems.

Some higher-scoring countries are even experiencing a decline as governments fail to address grand corruption, uphold rights and consult citizens.

The top performers in Asia Pacific are New Zealand (CPI score: 88), Singapore (85) and Hong Kong (76). However, most countries sit firmly below the global average of 43. This includes three countries with some of the lowest scores in the world: Cambodia (23), Afghanistan (16) and North Korea (16).

Among those with weak scores are some of the world’s most populous countries, such as China (45) and India (40), and other large economies such as Indonesia (38), Pakistan (28) and Bangladesh (26). A concerning trend across some of these nations is a weakening of anti-corruption institutions or, in some cases, absence of an agency to coordinate action against corruption.

Continue reading CPI 2021 for Asia Pacific: Grand corruption and lack of freedoms holding back progress →

ASEAN, Nhân quyền

Myanmar: Increasing evidence of crimes against humanity since coup

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Protesters attend a march against the military coup in Myanmar.

(Unsplash/Pyae Sone Htun) Protesters attend a march against the military coup in Myanmar.

12 September 2022 United Nations News

Human Rights

Crimes against humanity and war crimes have intensified in the wake of the February 2021 military coup in Myanmar, the UN Human Rights Council heard on Monday. 

The Geneva-based body was briefed by Nicholas Koumjian, Head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), who presented its latest report. 

The Mechanism was established by the Council to collect and preserve evidence of the most serious international crimes in the country. 

Continue reading Myanmar: Increasing evidence of crimes against humanity since coup →
ASEAN

Chiến thắng mong manh của nền pháp trị

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C.VĂN 11/09/2022 16:16 GMT+7

TTCT – Án tuyên giữ nguyên với ông Najib Razak không chỉ là việc bắt một cựu thủ tướng phải đối mặt với những hậu quả do hành động của ông, mà còn là lời khẳng định về sự bình đẳng trước pháp luật của tất cả mọi người.

Chiến thắng mong manh của nền pháp trị - Ảnh 1.

Ảnh: Foreign Policy

Trong khoản tiền ước tính 4,5 tỉ USD thất thoát từ quỹ 1MDB khiến cựu thủ tướng Malaysia Najib Razak vừa bị tuyên án 12 năm tù, có cả phần tiền được để làm bộ phim Hollywood The Wolf of Wall Street (với sự góp mặt của tài tử Leonardo DiCaprio) về… lừa đảo trong thế giới tài chính. 

Phần lớn khoản tiền đó, vốn nhiều hơn toàn bộ ngân quỹ hằng năm của một nửa các chính quyền trên thế giới, được giới lãnh đạo quỹ này, cá nhân và gia đình ông Najib, vung vào du thuyền, bài bạc, và cả một chiếc vòng đeo cổ kim cương giá 23 triệu USD.

Continue reading Chiến thắng mong manh của nền pháp trị →

ASEAN, Bang giao quốc tế

Losing Momentum and Passing Opportunities in the U.S.-Vietnam Relationship

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September 8, 2022 CSIS

In 2023, the United States and Vietnam will celebrate the 10th anniversary of their comprehensive partnership. The occasion will provide a window of opportunity to elevate the relationship to a strategic partnership. However, there are signs that Washington and Hanoi are losing momentum in bilateral security cooperation and passing opportunities to make necessary preparations for the upgrade to happen.

During his nomination hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Ambassador Marc Knapper stated that, if confirmed, he would prioritize deepening the United States’ strategic relationship with Vietnam. He would take steps to raise the current comprehensive partnership to a strategic partnership by “strengthening even further our security relationship,” “deepening our economic partnership,” and “deepening our people-to-people ties.”

Continue reading Losing Momentum and Passing Opportunities in the U.S.-Vietnam Relationship →
ASEAN, Bang giao quốc tế, Phát triển kinh tế

Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar deepen Russia ties to blunt economic woes

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Nikkei – Southeast Asia nations seen giving Moscow breathing room on sanctions

Oil tanks at a petroleum depot in the port of Vladivostok, Russia. Myanmar starts importing Russian fuel oil as early as September.   © Reuters

YOHEI MURAMATSU and TOMOYA ONISHI, Nikkei staff writers

September 6, 2022 04:22 JST

BANGKOK/HANOI — From wooing more Russian tourists to boosting trade, Southeast Asian nations are bolstering economic ties with Russia in hopes of curbing inflation and spurring their recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The U.S. and European countries have imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine. But these efforts could be hindered by emerging nations as they prioritize addressing their own economic headwinds.

Continue reading Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar deepen Russia ties to blunt economic woes →

ASEAN, Lịch sử, Văn Hóa

The lost tribe: The CIA’s secret army in Laos

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The lost tribe: The CIA’s secret army in Laos | REWIND

Al Jazeera English – 24-8-2019

We trace a forgotten Hmong community in the jungles of northern Laos who helped the US during the Vietnam War.

Half a century ago, as war raged in Vietnam, an isolated community in the jungles of northern Laos was recruited by the CIA to help fight the Pathet Lao – the Laotian equivalent of Vietnam’s Viet Cong.

Over 50,000 of the Hmong tribe became part of the United States’s secret army, helping disrupt Communist supply lines along the Ho Chi Minh trail.

Continue reading The lost tribe: The CIA’s secret army in Laos →

ASEAN, Du lịch

Cambodia’s orphan business: The dark side of ‘voluntourism’

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Cambodia’s orphan business: The dark side of ‘voluntourism’ | REWIND

Al Jazeera English – 15-9-2019

After emerging from more than two decades of war in the 1990s, Cambodia has relied heavily on tourism to rebuild its economy.

It is one of the top destinations for young travellers, many of whom sign up with global volunteering companies.

‘Voluntourists’, however, may be unwittingly fuelling the exploitation of children in poorly regulated orphanages. Continue reading Cambodia’s orphan business: The dark side of ‘voluntourism’ →

ASEAN

Moscow fuels Myanmar war machine, then claims to bring peace

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Moscow fuels Myanmar war machine, then claims to bring peace

Voice of America – 20-8-2022

On August 3, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov made an official visit to Myanmar, underscoring Russia’s support for the country’s military government.

The visit came just over a week after Myanmar’s military junta announced it had executed four pro-democracy activists – the country’s first executions in decades – sparking international condemnation. Continue reading Moscow fuels Myanmar war machine, then claims to bring peace →