Myanmar’s Foreign Minister Tin Maung Swe attended the informal ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting on July 12, marking the country’s first in-person engagement with the bloc since the 2021 military coup.
Category: The Brief
Sara Duterte’s Trial Is A Test of Philippine Political Status Quo
In early July, The Philippine Senate officially opened the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, marking the start of a historic political and legal process in the country. As the first sitting vice president in the country’s history to face an impeachment trial, Sara Duterte stands accused of misusing millions of dollars in confidential government funds and making threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. She has firmly denied all allegations, with her legal team arguing that the case is politically motivated and aimed at removing her from office.
Laos is set for an agricultural export boom but must first resolve its debt crisis
In the last week of June, the Lao government commenced a series of meetings to evaluate the country’s development progress throughout the first half of the year, as well as to establish priority deliverables for the subsequent second half of the year (H2).
US-Iran peace pact does little to resolve Southeast Asia’s economic uncertainty
The third official peace talks between the US and Iran on June 14 produced a 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU), the details of which were released by White House officials on June 17 following its electronic signing by both respective presidents
Corruption arrests reach the heart of Indonesia’s government
Indonesian authorities launched sweeping arrests in early June, detaining President Prabowo Subianto’s inner circle officials, detaining several high-ranking officials from the newly-formed National Nutrition Agency (BGN) and the Ministry of Immigration and Correctional Services. These arrests have become one of the most striking blows within his administration.
Malaysia builds a chip industry but may lack the workers to run it
Malaysia is trying to climb the semiconductor value chain to become a highly lucrative Integrated Circuit (IC) design and wafer fabrication hub, leaving behind its conventional Assembly, Testing and Packaging (ATP) branding.
Timor-Leste races to build a post-oil economy before the fund runs dry
Timor-Leste has recently been on a flurry of high-level engagements.
Why Thailand’s roads keep killing
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Thailand ranks among the highest in the world for road fatalities as traffic accidents claim approximately 20,000 lives annually, meaning an average of 50 deaths per day.
Is Indonesia becoming Southeast Asia’s new online gambling hub?
A recent police raid in Jakarta uncovered a large online gambling operation involving 320 non-Indonesian nationals and dozens of gambling website\s. The case quickly drew national attention because of the international scale of the network.
South China Sea and Strait of Hormuz dominate discussions at 48th ASEAN Summit
The 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, Philippines, culminated on May 8 with member states’ leaders formally signing outcome declarations throughout the plenary and retreat sessions, concluded by a symbolic gala dinner.