When the 34th ASEAN Summit concluded in June 2019 in Bangkok, it came as no surprise that the bloc was met with heavy criticism for suggesting Rohingya refugees will repatriate back to Myanmar within two years. More than 700,000 Rohingya were forced to flee northern Rakhine state in western Myanmar during a 2017 military-led crackdown the United Nations (UN) has said included mass killings and gang-rapes executed with “genocidal intent”.

The Philippines told the US on Tuesday it was quitting a pact key to their historical military alliance, triggering a six-month countdown to the deal's termination. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered his cabinet to give notice to quit the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) after voicing anger over Washington cancelling the visa of the official who led his internationally condemned drug war.The move also follows Duterte's repeated, unfulfilled threats to shrink or eve

Cambodia's strongman leader Hun Sen said Tuesday his country would not "bow its head" to the European Union (EU) as the bloc prepares to decide whether to cancel trade benefits to the kingdom over its human rights record.But premier Hun Sen warned of economic rough seas ahead for his country, with some garment factories likely to close in the coming weeks as key supply chains from China slow amid the coronavirus crisis. The EU is set to decide on Wednesday whether to s

Philippine government lawyers moved Monday to strip the nation's biggest media group of its operating franchise in what campaigners branded a fresh attack on press freedom under President Rodrigo Duterte.Duterte has repeatedly pledged he would stop the broadcast operations of ABS-CBN, which drew his anger during his rise to power in the 2016 presidential election campaign.The solicitor general's petition filed with the nation's top court alleges ABS-CBN violated provisions of i

Singapore’s newly passed misinformation law has been grabbing headlines because it empowers government officials to order corrections to be placed next to social media and online posts they deem false. The law came into effect in October 2019, resulting in outrage from human rights groups and tech giants such as Facebook and Google, which claim that the law is in violation of free speech. A number of opposition figures and activists have already been ordered to place correct

Malaysia's former first lady, who allegedly bankrolled a luxurious lifestyle with kickbacks and stolen public money, went on trial Wednesday for corruption for the first time since her husband lost power.Rosmah Mansor, notorious for making overseas shopping trips and owning vast collections of handbags and jewellery, became a lightning rod for public anger as the government of prime minister Najib Razak was engulfed by corruption allegations.Her husband's long-ruling coalition suffe

As the United Nations (UN) enters its 75th year, the world is still rife with mistrust: the United States (US) remains the dominant superpower but is on the wane, while Asian power is growing in the face of an increasingly fractured Europe, with an explosive Middle East sandwiched in between.In the New York headquarters of the UN, the Cold War never really ended, as demonstrated by a scene recently observed in its hallowed hallways: a US diplomat spotted hiding behind a wall to listen in on w

The Indonesian government has strong reason to draw policy lessons from the international community in order to deal with over 14,000 transiting refugees and asylum seekers, before the situation deteriorates further.While the refugee issue is not a political priority in Indonesia, it seems to garner much traction for Australian politicians – where refugee issues dominate their agenda. Over the years, the Australian government has implemented an increasingly restrictive immigration policy.

China faced deepening isolation over its coronavirus epidemic on Saturday as the death toll soared to 259, with the United States (US) and Australia leading a growing list of nations to impose extraordinary Chinese travel bans.With Britain, Russia and Sweden among the countries confirming their first infections, the virus has now spread to more than two dozen nations, sending governments scurrying to limit their exposure.China toughened its own quarantine measures at the centre of the outbrea

Britain on Friday ended almost half a century of integration with Europe, finally making its historic departure from the European Union (EU) to begin a new – but still uncertain – future, with emotions running high following years of wrangling and several false starts. At the clocks strike 11:00 pm (2300 GMT) – midnight in Brussels – Britain becomes the first country to leave the 28-member bloc and will go it alone for the first time since 1973.Prime Minister Boris Johnson has backed