Following the conclusion of the 34th ASEAN Summit last weekend in Bangkok, Thailand, it came as no surprise that the bloc was heavily criticised for suggesting Rohingya refugees will repatriate back to Myanmar within two years. More than 740,000 Rohingya have fled to refugee camps in Bangladesh since a 2017 army crackdown on the stateless minority.
Until the other day, few Americans could likely find Sri Lanka on a map, nor even dimly remember its British colonial name, Ceylon. But the Indian Ocean nation flashed across news screens over the Easter weekend with a highly sophisticated and lethal series of bombings across the island nation of some 20 million.
Indonesian police said Thursday they had uncovered a huge stash of explosives linked to a terror suspect whose wife blew herself and a child up following a dramatic standoff at their home.The discovery of some 300 kilograms (660 pounds) of assembled explosives and bomb-making materials raised fears that a major attack was being planned, a month before national elections and less than a year after Indonesia was rocked by a wave of deadly suicide bombings.The suicide blast early Wednesday morni
In May 2018, Indonesia was swept by a wave of terror attacks involving suicide bombers that targeted churches and the police headquarters in the city of Surabaya. What set this chain of events apart was the fact that they were carried out by members of the same families. In the incidents, the father and mother either shared militant roles with their children, or took their children along on their mission.
Just as martial law in Mindanao was nearing its expiration, the Philippine Congress approved on 12 December a 12-month extension of the law. The extension received an overwhelming majority in Congress with 235 lawmakers voting for it. Martial law in the Mindanao region was first implemented in May 2017, after hundreds of Islamic State (IS) affiliated militants took control of the city of Marawi. The siege lasted five months and saw over 47 civilians and around 970 militants killed.
May this year saw Indonesia swept by a wave of terror attacks involving suicide bombers that targeted churches and the police headquarters in the city of Surabaya. What set this chain of events apart was the fact that they were carried out by members of the same families. In the incidents, the father and mother either shared militant roles with their children, or took their children along on their mission.
Defence ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have agreed to share intelligence in order to combat future threats of terrorism, radicalism, violent extremism, and other non-traditional threats in the region. They were present in Singapore over the weekend for the 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM) and 5th ADMM-Plus.
Singapore faces its highest terrorism threat level since the time of the 11 September attacks in the United States (US) in 2001 and the 2002 Bali bombings, Singapore’s defense minister said.“There are no signs to indicate that this will abate within even the next decade,” Ng Eng Hen told reporters on Friday ahead of the country’s Armed Forces Day on 1 July.
Last week, Indonesia was swept with a wave of terror attacks. The most recent attack took place on 16 May, when four sword-wielding insurgents attacked officers at Riau police headquarters in Sumatra. Prior to that, Surabaya – Indonesia’s second largest city – was targeted with a string of bombings. On 9 May, a family of suicide bombers attacked three churches in Central Surabaya, killing at least 15 people.
As Muslims around the globe usher in the holy month of Ramadan, an all-too familiar narrative rears its head once again.
Over the past week, Indonesia has witnessed two terrorist attacks. On 9 May, a family of six, including a nine-year-old girl, targeted three churches in Surabaya killing at least 13 and injuring over 40 people. Less than a week later, on 14 May, another family of terrorists attacked the police headquarters in the same city, resulting in at least four police officers and six local residents being injured.
The Delhi Declaration that was announced recently during the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit is a mutual commitment “to further deepen and strengthen” the strategic partnerships of all 10 ASEAN countries with India. One of the more interesting highlights of the declaration is the call for stronger partnerships in countering terrorism within the region.
