On May 21, the China Cultural Centre in Laos marked International Tea Day with a “Tea for Reconciliation” event, using tea traditions to promote cultural exchange and strengthen diplomatic ties between Laos and China.
Category: Politics
Australia’s ministerial visit highlights enduring Australia–Timor-Leste partnership
Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Richard Marles, paid an official visit to Timor-Leste on May 20 to attend the commemoration of Dili’s 24th anniversary of the Restoration of Independence.
North Korea and Southeast Asia: Signals of a Quiet Reconnection
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Thailand signs new Cobra Gold defence pact with Singapore
A Thai cabinet meeting approved the draft of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on participation in Exercise Cobra Gold, formalising Singapore’s participation in the drills for the 2025 – 2030 period.
Philippine Senate demands VP Sara Duterte to submit a formal response
The Philippine Senate formally opened its second impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte on May 18, marking a historic moment in the country’s political trajectory.
He built an AI tool to monitor government spending. Now comes the hard part.
An artificial intelligence (AI) tool called Nemesis, built by Abil Sudarman, is reshaping the conversation around public accountability in Indonesia, and what it reveals about the country’s broader ambitions.
Prabowo shrugs off rupiah slide, touts village resilience
The Indonesian rupiah has been strangled, with the currency weakening to 17,602 rupiah against a dollar. However, this hardly alarmed Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, insisting that the unequal exchange rate was irrelevant to ordinary Indonesians.
Vietnam FM visits Pyongyang, reaffirms bilateral ties
Vietnamese Foreign Minister Lê Hoài Trung, who serves as Special Envoy of General Secretary and President Tô Lâm, visited the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on May 13.
Thailand voids MoU 44 maritime pact, Cambodia lodges protests
On May 5, Thailand cancelled the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU 44) on maritime boundary. This move has reignited tensions with Cambodia over the Overlapping Claims Area (OCA).
Safeguarding Freedom of Expression in Indonesia
Vice Coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS), Andrie Yunus became the victim of an acid attack by unknown individuals at 23.00 on March 12, 2026. He suffered from serious injuries, particularly in the right- and left-hand areas, face, chest and some parts of his eyes. The incident occurred as soon as he finished recording his podcast in the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), entitled “Remilitarisation and Judicial Review in Indonesia”.