Government
International relations
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 ...
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 ...
Experts tell Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia to study border issues
Delegates from Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos discussed the ASEAN Economic Community’s effects on transnational natural resources at an annual international conference on cross-border economic co-operation. Speaking at the meeting in Da Lat, chairman of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, said Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia should ...
Mekong meet helps states prepare for AEC
To welcome the launch of the Asean Economic Community and help Greater Mekong Subregion countries cope with e-commerce, an international conference was held recently to bring specialists and officials together to swap ideas and experiences. The 8 July event, titled “Mekong Forum 2015 – Modernising the ...
Jailings linked to border campaign, Rainsy says
Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy said Sunday that the imprisonment of 11 CNRP activists for “insurrection” last week was a message from Prime Minister Hun Sen that the party must end its campaign to highlight encroachments along the Vietnamese border. Mr. Rainsy’s comments came after the ...
China responds angrily to life sentences for illegal loggers
Beijing hit out at long jail sentences handed to more than 150 Chinese nationals for illegal logging in Myanmar, in the latest tremor to shake relations between the neighbours. The mass sentencing, which has sparked outraged editorials in Chinese state-run media, comes after the loggers were ...
Vietnam sponsors educational, cultural centres in Laos
Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang’s financial gifts were handed over to authorities in the Lao provinces of Luang Prabang and Houaphanh to build cultural and educational facilities. Keep reading ...
Cambodia seeks role as mediator between ASEAN, China
Cambodia will continue to seek to be a mediator in South China Sea disputes between China and Asean nations, Cambodian Foreign Affairs Minister Hor Namhong has said. Speaking to reporters after meeting with China’s newly appointed ambassador to Asean, Xu Bu, Hor Namhong said Cambodia would ...
Burma sentences Chinese nationals to life for illegal logging
China has lodged a diplomatic protest with Myanmar after a court in the southeast Asian nation sentenced 153 Chinese nationals to life imprisonment for illegal logging. China’s voracious demand for Myanmar’s raw materials has fuelled resentment in Myanmar towards its giant northern neighbor. Regions along Myanmar’s porous border with China have ...
