US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson landed in Bangkok on Tuesday for talks with junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha, the highest-level American diplomatic visit since the Thai army grabbed power in a 2014 coup.The one-day drop-in comes as Washington reboots its relationship with Thailand under President Donald Trump, whose administration has enraged rights groups by cosying up to strongmen around the globe.The Thai army's 2014 toppling of the civilian government pinched ties with Washington, w

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Russia will further boost cooperation in countering terrorist financing via travel restriction for citizens of these two nations to Middle East.In a joint statement in conjunction with the ASEAN-Russia ministerial meeting held in Manila, the Philippines, ASEAN foreign affairs ministers are committed to countering the growing spread of violent extremism as and when conducive to terrorism as well as terrorist propaganda.This includes the us

Malaysia has stressed the importance of ASEAN connectivity and centrality as it is important particularly in light of growing interests from other countries and regional organisations to develop stronger ties and cooperation with ASEAN.Its' foreign minister Anifah Aman said the ASEAN centrality need to be maintained in an effort to further the ASEAN community agenda."We must be able to speak in one voice when projecting ASEAN's views as well as in maintaining our positions on i

The United States, Australia and Japan on Monday denounced Beijing's island-building and militarisation of the South China Sea, in contrast to the increasingly tepid response from Southeast Asian nations over the festering issue.China claims nearly all of the sea, through which $5 trillion in annual shipping trade passes and which is believed to sit atop vast oil and gas deposits.Its sweeping claims overlap with Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei -- all members of the 10-natio

Southeast Asian lawmakers on Monday urged Malaysia to halt a crackdown on migrant workers that has seen more than 6,000 foreigners detained and sparked alarm among rights groups.Relatively developed Malaysia is a magnet for migrant workers from across Asia in sectors ranging from construction to agriculture, but several million are believed to be undocumented.Authorities started rounding up illegal workers after an official programme to register undocumented foreigners ended on June 30.

Indonesia said Tuesday it would trade palm oil, coffee and tea for Russian fighter jets, saying it wanted to capitalise on international sanctions on Moscow as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was due to arrive for a visit.Indonesia and Russia signed a memorandum of understanding to exchange 11 Russian-made Sukhoi fighters for key commodities in Moscow last week, a spokesman for Indonesia's trade ministry said."The idea was proposed last year and some people suggested Indonesia should

The State Councilor of the State Council of China Wang Yong is making an official visit to Malaysia from August 8-10.This would be his second visit to Malaysia.Malaysia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry in a statement said Wang Yong will be attending the ground-breaking ceremony of the East Coast Rail Line (ECRL) project, which will take place in Kuantan, Pahang on August 9 as the special representative of President Xi Jinping.During the visit, Wang Yong is also scheduled to pay a courtesy call on M

After decades of living under the shadow of neighbors in the North, Southeast Asia is taking over as the region’s growth leader.Expansion in the Asean-5 -- Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam -- will exceed 5 percent through 2022, while growth in North Asia will average just 3 percent, according to International Monetary Fund data.“There’s a confluence of positive tailwinds like favorable demographics” for Southeast Asia which would spur lower labor costs and greater do