Government
National government
MPs to debate emergency proposal on Shan clashes
Shan State politicians are urging parliament to immediately address renewed clashes in the northern part of the state which have already displaced thousands of civilians and trapped several thousand more. U Sai Tun Aung, a Pyithu Hluttaw MP for the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, submitted ...
Third round of transition talks loom
Power-sharing talks between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and Senior General Min Aung Hlaing are expected to resume this week – possibly as early as today – according to sources close to the National League for Democracy. The last round of negotiations on 25 January seems ...
US, ASEAN agree on freedom of navigation principle
President Barack Obama and the leaders of Southeast Asia called on 16 February for peaceful resolution of the region’s maritime disputes as they concluded a summit in California. Mr Obama told a news conference that disputes must be resolved by legal means, including a case brought by ...
Voting abroad impossible: Cambodian PM
Prime Minister Hun Sen has dismissed calls to allow Cambodians living abroad to vote in the next election, claiming it would be impossible under the Kingdom’s proportional representative electoral system. But a vast string of other countries – including Indonesia and several European nations – operate ...
Indonesia welcomes Laos’ chairmanship, urges unity
Indonesia has thrown its support behind Laos’ chairmanship of ASEAN, urging the country to maintain the group’s unity and centrality as it entered a new chapter in the establishment of the community.President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo conveyed his remarks to new ASEAN chair Laos during a ...
I’ll shake hands with protesters: Hun Sen
In an address to ruling party supporters in California on 15 February, Prime Minister Hun Sen wasted little time in taking several pot shots at US foreign policy and telling attendees he planned to confront anti-government protesters at the US-ASEAN summit head-on. Speaking at his hotel ...
Jokowi conveys words of wisdom to new ASEAN chair Laos
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has congratulated Laos on its selection for the ASEAN chairmanship in 2016, saying that this year is an important milestone for ASEAN, as the ASEAN Economic Community was coming into effect.At a courtesy call with President Choumaly Sayasone of Laos in ...
Ex-general who led Myanmar from dictatorship leaves mixed legacy
When U.S. President Barack Obama hosts a meeting of Southeast Asian leaders in California this week, his Myanmar counterpart Thein Sein will be notably absent. Myanmar’s outgoing president abruptly pulled out of the summit as secretive talks continued between his country’s powerful military and the incoming ...
NLD signals end to squatter crackdowns
The sight of bulldozers smashing shanty towns as police drive out squatters from their flimsy homes could be a thing of the past, as National League for Democracy MPs take the helm in Yangon and Mandalay regions, as well as in Nay Pyi Taw. NLD MP U ...
New Speaker flags human rights focus
Mandalay witnessed a distinct changing of guard on 8 February as its new hluttaw took office, with the newly appointed Speaker stressing the importance of being accountable to the public. He added that human rights and economic and social development will be priorities, and promised to ...
