Geopolitics

N. Korea fires ballistic missile over Japan

Nuclear-armed North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan and into the Pacific Ocean on Tuesday in a major escalation by Pyongyang amid tensions over its weapons ambitions.Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said it was an "unprecedented, serious and grave threat" and called for an emergency UN Security Council meeting.The last time a North Korean rocket overflew Japan was in 2009, when Pyongyang said it was satellite launch.

29 August 2017
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Awareness lacking within ASEAN

Awareness on ASEAN is low among its own citizens, let alone the world. The recent incident with the Indonesian flag at the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games 2017 and the backlash of the Indonesian online community are recent proofs that reflect the lack of understanding between the ASEAN nations.This intensifies the needs to gauge awareness among citizens of ASEAN member nations on the significance of creating an ASEAN-centric community.

28 August 2017
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Myanmar and militants trade Rakhine atrocity accusations

Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday accused Rohingya fighters of burning down homes and using child soldiers during a recent surge in violence in troubled Rakhine state, allegations denied by the militants themselves.The impoverished western state neighbouring Bangladesh has become a crucible of religious hatred focused on the stateless Rohingya Muslim minority, who are reviled and perceived as illegal immigrants in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.Despite years of persecution and government r

28 August 2017
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Remains of all missing sailors recovered from US warship

Divers have recovered the remains of all 10 US sailors who went missing after their warship collided with a tanker off Singapore, the US Navy said Monday.The remaining eight sailors were retrieved by divers searching flooded compartments of the USS John S.

28 August 2017
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Ex-Thai leader's exile spurs debate: is the Thaksin era over?

The self-imposed exile of another popular Thai leader means the junta won’t need to deal with a high-profile prisoner. Yet another question remains: Can Thaksin Shinawatra’s family finally be beaten at the polls?Thaksin and his allies have won every election dating back to 2001, only to have the military or courts help remove them from power.

28 August 2017
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Bangladesh sends back 90 Rohingya despite violence

Bangladesh has detained and forcibly returned 90 Rohingya migrants to Myanmar, police said Sunday, just hours after Myanmarese troops on the other side of the border had opened fire on people fleeing the country.Police intercepted a group of 70 Rohingya late Saturday after they crossed the "zero line" border zone, where Myanmar soldiers earlier fired mortars and machine guns at villagers making the dangerous dash from the northern state of Rakhine into Bangladesh.

27 August 2017
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Allies question Thai junta's involvement in Yingluck escape

Thailand's junta has come under fire from conservative allies following ousted prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra's escape overseas, with many questioning how the military could have let her flee given she was heavily monitored.Yingluck, whose government was toppled by the military in 2014, pulled a dramatic disappearing act before a scheduled court judgment on Friday in a criminal negligence trial. She faced up to ten years in prison and a lifetime political ban if convicted.

27 August 2017
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SEA Games: Thais take dig at Malaysia over medals

Thailand took aim at table-topping Malaysia for stacking the sports programme in their favour as they conceded defeat in the Southeast Asian Games medals race.Thailand dominated the last edition of the 11-nation competition in 2015, when they claimed 95 gold medals to finish clear of hosts Singapore on 84.But with the Games closing on Wednesday, Thailand are fourth on the current table with 44 gold medals, well behind home country Malaysia on 83."We have missed several gold medals and ou

27 August 2017
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Oh Bummer! Will Trump undo the Asia Pivot?

Donald Trump may be the most powerful man on earth but he is a victim of his own insecurities. The Commander in Chief is reportedly driven by a crude obsession of undoing his predecessor’s policies regardless of its merit. However, of the many Obama-era policies he would like to see upended, there is one which he simply cannot afford to have reversed, which is the “Pivot to Asia”.

27 August 2017
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Fugitive Thai ex-PM Yingluck in Dubai aims for UK

Fugitive former Thai premier Yingluck Shinawatra fled to Dubai and may try to seek asylum in the UK, a junta source told AFP Saturday, after she ducked a legal ruling, wrong-footing the court and her supporters alike.Yingluck, 50, was due on Friday morning to arrive at the Supreme Court for the ruling in her trial for criminal negligence that could have seen her jailed for 10 years.But she did not show up, staging a vanishing act that wrote a dramatic closing chapter to the 16-year political

26 August 2017
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FCCT remains concerned with use of vexatious litigation to deter legitimate journalistic activities in Thailand

The professional membership of the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand (FCCT), is pleased with the withdrawal of charges against BBC Southeast Asia correspondent but remain concern with the use of vexatious litigation to deter legitimate journalistic activities, particularly since Thailand's defamation law carry criminal penalties.Jonathan Head is the Southeast Asia correspond for the BBC, have been withdrawn by the plaintiff, a Phuket lawyer.

25 August 2017
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