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JAKARTA: Southeast Asian foreign ministers urged a halt to violence and the start of talks on a peaceful solution in Myanmar, where the military seized power from an elected government and is escalating its use of mass arrests and deadly force against peaceful protesters. Myanmar's top diplomat briefed other foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations during a video conference on Tuesday (Mar 2), according to the meeting's agenda. It was the first meeting of foreign ministers of the 10-member ASEAN since the Feb 1 coup, when Myanmar's military detained Aung San Suu Kyi and other leaders. Brunei, which heads ASEAN this year, had proposed that a joint statement be issued after the meeting. But the ministers apparently failed to agree on a declaration, and Brunei issued its own chairman's statement. READ: Myanmar military's use of lethal force 'disastrous', but sense can still prevail: PM Lee READ: Singapore gravely concerned over events in Myanmar, … [Read more...] about Southeast Asian nations urge halt to violence in Myanmar

The Hanoitimes - The purchase confirms that Russia is the biggest arms supplier of Vietnam. Vietnam signed a US$350 million deal in 2019 to buy a dozen of combat training aircraft from Russia, the Vedomosti business daily reported on January 28. The purchase deal covers at least 12 Yak-130 combat training jets, Vedomosti cited two unnamed Russian defense industry executives as saying, giving no details about the delivery time. A Vietnamese Kilo-class submarine bought from Russia. Photo: AFP Yak-130 jet is designed for training pilots of advanced fighter aircraft. It can also be equipped with air-to-surface weapons including guided missiles and bombs. According to Vedomosti, Vietnam would be the sixth country to import the Yak-130, following Algeria, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos, and Belarus. The contract paves the way for the purchase of more advanced jets from Russia, including the Su-30SM and the Su-35, military expert and Arms Exports magazine … [Read more...] about Vietnam signs US$350 million deal to buy jets from Russia

Nguyen Thi Thu Nhi trains at the Cocky Buffalo club in HCM City to prepare for her WBO title fight in April (Photo courtesy of Cocky Buffalo) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Nguyen Thi Thu Nhi will have to wait till April for her chance to become the first Vietnamese world female boxing champion after her fight was delayed. Instead of being dismayed, the pint-sized boxer has taken the delay as an opportunity to sharpen her technique to prepare for her date with destiny. The World Boxing Organisation (WBO) agreed to move the mini flyweight (48kg) title defence between Thu and Japanese boxer Etsuko Tada to April, about two months after it was scheduled to be held. The delay was needed as Tada could not travel to Vietnam in February due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the second time that the bout was postponed after being originally scheduled for last April in the Republic of Korea. “It is sad that it was delayed again while I am in good mood and preparing well for it,” Nhi told … [Read more...] about Vietnamese boxer gears up for world title shot

SINGAPORE: COVID-19 has claimed more than 700,000 lives, infected over 19 million people, and decimated rich and poor economies alike. But, even as most of the world faces unprecedented recession, policy responses differ sharply. The contrast between Europe and Asia is a case in point. Both regions are undoubtedly facing serious economic hardship. The European Commission expects the eurozone economy – which grew by 1.3 per cent in 2019 – to contract by 8.7 per cent this year. In the ASEAN+3 – the ten members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam), plus China, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea – GDP growth is expected to plunge to 0 per cent this year, from 4.8 per cent in 2019. READ: Commentary: More government measures needed to cushion a worsening Singapore jobs market LISTEN: Unfair firing and hiring practices under … [Read more...] about Commentary: Why Asia and Europe are responding to the same COVID-19 crisis differently

HONG KONG: From Australia's Bondi Beach to the streets of New Delhi, authorities across the Asia-Pacific region have ramped up efforts to stem the spread of COVID-19 amid fears of a second wave of infections in places where outbreaks had appeared under control. Tighter travel restrictions were imposed in several countries as the number of cases in the region soared past 95,000 - a third of the world's infections, an AFP tally shows. Outside China - where the deadly novel coronavirus was first detected in December and infected more than 80,000 people - South Korea is the hardest-hit country in Asia with more than 8,500 cases. READ: South Korea's new daily COVID-19 cases fall to 98 While the number of infections in China has been falling for weeks, other countries are seeing the toll gather pace from spread of the highly contagious virus. Cases rose by roughly a third in Thailand overnight to nearly 600, fueling scepticism about claims in neighbouring Myanmar and Laos of … [Read more...] about Asia Pacific steps up COVID-19 efforts as second wave of infections strikes