As of November, Thailand health officials have recorded 1,500 cases and 12 deaths due to the outbreak of measles in the Southern provinces of the country.

The violence which drove 700,000 Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar into Bangladesh was "without excuse", United States (US) Vice President Mike Pence told Aung San Suu Kyi in stinging comments on Wednesday.On the side-lines of the 33rd ASEAN Summit in Singapore, Pence piled the pressure on Myanmar's de facto leader, calling for an explanation of the jailing of two Reuters journalists over their coverage of the crisis.

With globalisation in full force, more and more Southeast Asian countries are beginning to realise the importance of economic cooperation for the sake of economic growth.

The United Nations (UN) rights chief on Tuesday urged Bangladesh to halt imminent plans to start returning Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, warning doing so risked further grave violations against the Muslim minority.

The South China Sea dispute would be one of the more pertinent priorities on the minds of diplomats as they head to Singapore for the 33rd ASEAN Summit and other related meetings. The dispute has for the longest time been a thorn in the flesh of relations between claimant Southeast Asian states – the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei – and China, and for good reason.

It is that time of year again when leaders from all over the region congregate and discuss key issues facing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). While the official opening of the 33rd ASEAN Summit is scheduled for tomorrow, the summit has been underway since 11 November. However, action and excitement are expected to grow tomorrow with the arrival of some big names such as Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia.

Last week, Malaysia presented its report for the 3rd cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at Geneva, Switzerland.

World leaders will push for the rapid completion of a massive, China-backed trade deal that excludes the United States (US) at a summit this week, in a rebuke to rising protectionism and Donald Trump's "America First" agenda.China, Japan, India and other Asia-Pacific countries could announce a broad agreement on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which covers half the world's population, on the sidelines of the annual gathering.Not only is the US absen

When Susi Pudjiastuti took over the Indonesian maritime affairs and fishery ministry in 2014, she inherited a much-downgraded portfolio rife with issues - from illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing to destructive fishing practices. Indonesia’s fishing grounds’ sovereignty had also been neglected due to the magnitude of its waters and inadequate monitoring and enforcement caused by limited budget capacity.

The global population is expected to hit eight billion in 12 years. By 2050, that number will reach nine billion. ASEAN could hold the key to feeding this unprecedented number of people but only if its member countries can look beyond domestic political survival.