Malaysia’s Quiet Gambit: Can ASEAN’s Chair Revive Engagement with Myanmar’s Junta?

This handout photo taken and released on October 9, 2025 by the Myanmar Military Information Team shows Myanmar's military chief Min Aung Hlaing (R) shaking hands with Malaysia's Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan (L) during a meeting in Naypyidaw....

Dali Blends Nature, Culture, Growth

An old man was busy putting electric bulbs in plastic bottles on the grassy, wet bank of the Erhai Lake in Dali, Yunnan, China. A girl and a few kids, probably the old man's children, were giving him the bottles tied in ropes from the road above....

Thailand Tourism Hits 26.8M Visitors, $38B Revenue in 10 Months

BANGKOK — Thailand received 26.89 million international visitors during the first 10 months of 2025 (January 1 – November 2), generating approximately 1.24 trillion baht ($38 billion) in tourism revenue, according to the Ministry of Tourism....

The Intangible Yet Unmistakable Costs of Myanmar’s Political Crisis

The protracted Myanmar crisis is now everyone’s problem. The time for ASEAN to act is now. As the Gaza crisis seemingly draws to a close, actors within and outside of Myanmar are looking to end their own crisis, with or without external help. One...

Opening Speech by Acting President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Chairman of the State Security and Peace Commission, Chairman of the National Solidarity and Peacemaking Central Committee, Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services, Senior…

15 October 2025 Esteemed national brethren of the Union, Today marks the 10th anniversary of the signing of the auspicious occasion of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) between the Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and...

EU Sustainability State of Play Circular Economy and Product-Related Frameworks

Our EU Sustainability: State of Play series focuses on regulatory developments and policy initiatives emerging from Brussels. In this series, we explore EU sustainability frameworks and their intersection with other areas of EU law. EU...

Starlink Enables Billion-Dollar Scams in Myanmar Compounds, US Urges Geoblock

In the shadowy underbelly of Southeast Asia, vast criminal enterprises are thriving, powered by cutting-edge technology that was meant to bridge digital divides. Elon Musk’s Starlink, the satellite internet service from SpaceX, has inadvertently...

Top News Headlines In Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand & Vietnam: Oct 16, 2025

INDONESIA 1. PURBAYA HITS OUT AT PLAN TO ‘RETURN’ IDLE MEAL FUNDS -- THE JAKARTA POST Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has called for improved budget absorption for the free nutritious meals (MBG) programme, after the National Nutrition...

World : Top News Headlines In Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand & Vietnam: Oct 16, 2025

INDONESIA 1. PURBAYA HITS OUT AT PLAN TO ‘RETURN’ IDLE MEAL FUNDS -- THE JAKARTA POST Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has called for improved budget absorption for the free nutritious meals (MBG) programme, after the National Nutrition...

British teenager is rescued after getting lost in Thai jungle for two weeks and 'eating insects and tree bark to survive' after trying to cross into Myanmar

A British teenager has been rescued after getting lost in a Thai jungle for two weeks and eating insects and tree bark to survive after trying to cross into Myanmar. It was originally feared that Lawrence Stallard Honour, 19, was lured into a scam...

Indonesia’s Belt and Road Railway to Nowhere

Welcome to Foreign Policy’s Southeast Asia Brief. The highlights this week: Indonesia struggles with Chinese high-speed rail debt, Myanmar’s bogus election season begins, ex-Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appeals at the ICC, and Vietnam...

The air above his beloved country killed him. His story will break your heart

Save Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text sizeLarger text sizeVery large text size Yaara Bou Melhem wants to make one thing clear: “I don’t make activist films. The way I think...

Ranked: The World’s Most Sustainable Economies in 2025

Ranked: The World’s Most Sustainable Economies in 2025 This infographic from the Hinrich Foundation introduces the 2025 edition of the Sustainable Trade Index (STI). The STI is an annual ranking of 30 select global economies developed along with...

Amid China’s Export Ban, Don’t Forget the Human Costs of Myanmar’s Rare Earths

China controls approximately 90 percent of the world’s rare earths processing. Its dominating position in the rare earth supply enables Beijing to weaponize its structural advantage in the high-tech industry and green energy transition. Last week,...

Exposed: Myanmar's Growing Scam Hubs Powered by Elon Musk's Starlink Despite Global Crackdowns

Authorities claimed to have dismantled them, yet the vast scam compounds operating along Myanmar's border with Thailand are not only still active but expanding. An investigation by Agence France-Presse (AFP) found that the so-called fraud...

Fraud Factories in Myanmar Boom Despite Crackdowns

Fraud factories in Myanmar blamed for scamming Chinese and American victims out of billions of dollars remain operational and have expanded, an AFP investigation has found. Satellite imagery and drone footage show rapid construction at heavily...

Despite a crackdown, Myanmar’s scam centres are booming - making use of Musk’s Starlink

They said they had been forced to work around the clock, trawling for victims for a plethora of phone and internet scams. Sun, a Chinese national who was sold between several compounds, was able to give AFP a rare insider’s account after being...

Thamanat vows to resolve pollution in Kok River

PUBLISHED : 13 Oct 2025 at 19:24 Deputy Prime Minister Capt Thamanat Prompow pledged to resolve transboundary pollution along the Kok River in Chiang Rai through diplomatic talks and a local committee to safeguard public health. Capt Thamanat,...

Malaysia to Raise Myanmar Election Plans at ASEAN Summit

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Malaysia will raise Myanmar's plan to hold general elections and invite ASEAN member states to send election observers at the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur later this month. The Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated...

Charlebois: Canada’s combative trade tactics are backfiring (Writer's Bloc)

Photo: The Canadian Press/Laura Proctor Prime Minister Mark Carney, left, and Ontario Premier Doug Ford at the Darlington Energy Complex in Courtice, Ont., on Oct. 23, The real threat to Canadian exporters isn’t U.S. President Donald Trump’s...