Illicit activity in the Sulu and Celebes Seas continues to pose a daunting maritime security challenge for the Philippines. The recent kidnapping of nine fishermen off the coast of Borneo and the increasingly violent modus operandi of the militant Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) have raised safety concerns amongst Philippine policy makers and local communities.
Public transparency and accountability are cornerstones of a citizen-centric approach to governance, and while ASEAN countries show some signs of having transparent processes in place, challenges still exist.A citizen-centric approach is one where instead of the bureaucracy second-guessing citizens, they are consulted about their needs and encouraged to participate in policy planning, service designs and deliveries.According to a joint report published this week by the Asian Development Bank
Pope Francis will travel to Thailand in November, the Vatican said Friday, in a visit to Asia that will sweep in the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki which were both decimated by atomic bombs in 1945.It has been nearly four decades since a pontiff visited Thailand and Japan, both Buddhist-majority countries.The late Pope John Paul II went to Japan – where Shinto and Buddhism are the main religions – in 1981, and he travelled to Thailand three years later where he met with the late Ki
Indonesia's surprise plan to roll out a nickel-ore export ban two years early could scare foreign investors away from Southeast Asia's biggest economy, analysts say, as it cements a reputation for policy flip-flops.Nickel prices soared this week on supply concerns after Indonesia, the world's top producer, announced the ban would start next year instead of 2022 in a bid to process more minerals at home.Ending exports of bauxite, used to make aluminium, and copper concentrates i
Muslim rebels in the mainly Catholic Philippines began handing over their guns to independent foreign monitors Saturday, as part of a treaty aimed at ending a decades-long separatist insurgency that has left about 150,000 people dead.Just over a thousand guerrillas in the country's restive south were turning in 940 weapons in a single day, the start of a graduated decommissioning process that aims to turn the country's largest rebel force into a regular political party.The Moro Isla
Robert Mugabe, the former guerrilla hero turned despot who ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years until the military forced him out, has died aged 95, the country’s president announced Friday.First heralded as a liberator who rid the former British colony Rhodesia of white minority rule, Mugabe used repression and fear to govern until he was finally ousted by his previously loyal generals in November 2017.The country’s former colonial ruler Britain expressed its condolences but said there were “mixed em
A court in Ukraine on Thursday released from detention a man suspected of involvement in the downing of flight MH17, prompting concern from the Netherlands that he may avoid questioning.The release of Vladimir Tsemakh, an alleged air defence specialist for pro-Russian separatists, comes amid speculation he might be part of a high-profile prisoner swap with Russia.Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday confirmed for the first time the “large-scale” prisoner exchange with Ukraine was bein
Philippine police pledged on Thursday to track down nearly 2,000 ex-prisoners including convicted murderers and rapists who were let out early for good behaviour, in some cases years ago.Revelations in recent weeks about the inmates’ release have sparked outrage in the Philippines, with critics accusing authorities of gross incompetence and possibly corruption.“I have immediately directed all police units nationwide to receive and account for (the ex-prisoners),” national police chief Oscar A
Hong Kong's embattled leader insisted Tuesday she had no intention of stepping down after an audio recording emerged of her saying she wanted to quit over three months of unrest in the southern Chinese city.Hong Kong has endured dozens of sometimes violent pro-democracy protests triggered by opposition to Chief Executive Carrie Lam's bid to push through a law allowing extraditions to mainland China.The protests have evolved into a wider democracy campaign involving clashes between p
Four Australians were deported from Indonesia’s Papua region on Monday, the immigration department said, after they allegedly took part in demonstrations demanding independence for the restive province.Impoverished Papua, where a low-level insurgency against Indonesian control has simmered for decades, has seen two weeks of mass protests and deadly riots sparked by anger over racism and fresh calls for self-rule.The four foreigners entered the island region on a yacht through the port of Soro
Dozens have been arrested over rioting in the capital of Indonesia's Papua region, police said Sunday, following nearly two weeks of mass protests in the easternmost territory of the Southeast Asian archipelago.The announcement came as Indonesia said it would deploy some 2,500 more police and troops to Papua, adding to about 1,200 personnel it had already sent after unrest sparked by anger over racism and calls for independence.On Thursday, more than a thousand demonstrators hurled stone
Myanmar said its military was conducting a rare court martial following a probe into alleged mass graves in crisis-hit Rakhine state, two years after a bloody crackdown drove some 740,000 Rohingya into Bangladesh. In February 2018, an Associated Press report alleged at least five mass graves of Rohingya in Rakhine's Gu Dar Pyin village – a claim denied by the government – which said the bodies were those of "terrorists".But the military's official website said Sat
