Government
National government
Myanmar MPs push for changes to Arms Act
Myanmar’s pre-colonial law on weapons should be updated on the basis of expert advice, two upper-house members of parliament say. U Shu Maung, Amyotha Hluttaw MP for Shan State constituency 8, said the act appeared to take different forms in upper and lower Myanmar and ...
Myanmar government moves to bring non-ceasefire groups into dialogue
The Myanmar government’s chief ceasefire negotiator has indicated that the ethnic armed groups that refused to sign last month’s nationwide ceasefire agreement still have a chance of being included in the process leading up to political dialogue. His remarks indicated a shift in government policy to ...
Lao Prime Minister meets US President at ASEAN summit
Lao Prime Minister Mr Thongsing Thammavong met US President Barack Obama in Kuala Lumpur on 21 November to discuss the expanding relationship between the two nations. During the meeting PM Thongsing Thammavong highlighted the growing partnership between the US and Laos in the health and UXO clearance ...
Development partners must hold Lao Government accountable: NGO official
Development partners must hold the government of Laos accountable to commitments it has made at a recurring dialogue on aid strategy to ensure the meetings produce results, an international nongovernmental organization said ahead of a new round of talks scheduled for next week. The government and ...
Israel, Myanmar to tighten defence ties
After Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing’s visit to Israel earlier this year, the two countries are looking to further cement defence ties with a formal agreement that will head to parliament later this week. Keep reading ...
ASEAN Community officially formed in landmark declaration
The ASEAN Community was officially declared on 22 November by leaders of the 10 member states of ASEAN in a landmark moment promising greater regional integration for the 48-year-old group. Twelve years in the making, the foremost goal of the ASEAN Community is to turn the region ...
Malaysia hands over ASEAN chair to Laos
Malaysia has handed over the chairmanship of ASEAN to Laos, having fulfilled its eight priorities as ASEAN chair for this year. On 22 November, at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak handed over a gavel to Laotian Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong – ...
US president notes election success at ASEAN Summit
The weekend’s ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur put US President Barack Obama and President U Thein Sein together for the first time since the election. While peddling his Asian pivot trade deal at the meeting, Mr Obama took a softer diplomatic tone than usual, lauding the ...
Nationalism defeated at the ballot box
Why did self-proclaimed nationalist parties fare so badly in the election? Though the absence of opinion polls and comparable electoral data made it difficult in advance to gauge the extent of support for any party, nationalist candidates appeared to be well-organised and amply funded. The hardline ...
Cambodian PM urges cooperation on climate problems
Prime Minister Hun Sen on 21 November called for stronger cooperation in implementing the ASEAN-US Joint Statement on Climate Change, noting that the phenomenon is “obviously happening”. The statement, adopted last November, calls on ASEAN members to implement 33 points, such as ratifying Kyoto Protocol goals and ...
