Government
USDP newspaper suspended amid political shake-up
Amid a flurry of speculation and rumor about Myanmar’s ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) after two of its top leaders were unceremoniously ousted on 12 August, the party’s private media house has been indefinitely shut down. Keep reading ...
Myanmar President Thein Sein ousts ruling party chairman ahead of elections
Myanmar President Thein Sein has moved to consolidate his power in the country’s ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) by forcing out his chief rival Shwe Mann as party chairman, months ahead of a November general election. Shwe Mann was removed from his position as ...
Malaysia to open trade and industry office in Vietnam
The Malaysian Ministry of International Trade and Industry will open a representative office in Hanoi latter this year to embrace economic links with Vietnam. Minister Mustapa Mohamed made the announcement to reporters after his attendance at a dialogue with members of the ASEAN Business Club. Keep reading ...
About 71% of businesses satisfied with Vietnam's tax procedures reform
The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and General Department of Taxation, under the Ministry of Finance, revealed a report on the satisfaction of businesses with the tax administrative procedures reform in 2014 in Hanoi on 11 August. Keep reading ...
Thai trips expected to rise as visa-free deal with Myanmar comes into effect
Visa-free travel to Thailand for Myanmar passport-holders has come into effect, sparking a spike in visitor numbers, travel agents say. Following an agreement reached last month, Myanmar passport holders can now visit Bangkok or Phuket for a two-week trip without queuing for a visa at the Thai ...
Myanmar Government trumpets pledges from China
Amid accusations that it caved in to Chinese pressure, the government has been at pains to show that its release in a presidential amnesty last week of 153 Chinese illegal loggers was accompanied by a number of pledges it has managed to extract from Beijing. The ...
Thailand wants to buy submarines from China, US wary of growing relationship between military junta and Beijing
The Royal Thai Navy claims it urgently needs more submarines to compete with other Asian countries. The assistant commander made the claim aimed at persuading a skeptical public that the nation should invest in its military in a white paper sent to reporters, the Bangkok Post ...
Vietnam strives to improve its trade statistics for ASEAN
Vietnam will strive to become one of ASEAN’s top five nations in international trade statistics by 2017. This is part of a plan for Vietnam’s integration into the ASEAN Statistics system in the 2016-20 period, as approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. According to the plan’s general targets ...
Thailand, Myanmar sign visa-free agreement
Thailand and Myanmar signed an agreement on Tuesday to allow citizens with ordinary passports to make visa-free visits of up to 14 days. It will come into effect on 11 August. Keep reading ...
Thailand dismisses US criticism over human trafficking and slavery
Thailand has hit back after being blacklisted in a US report for the second consecutive year for not combatting modern-day slavery, arguing it has made serious steps to tackle human trafficking. The ministry of foreign affairs said the US state department’s annual Trafficking in Persons report, “does not ...
