ASEAN News

SINGAPORE: Following January’s strong numbers, sales of new private homes dropped by around 60.5 percent in February, as developers held off on new home launches during the Chinese New Year season. According to data released by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) on Monday, developers sold 645 units last month, compared to 1,632 units in January, except executive condominiums (Mar 15). …

The “upward” or “downward” movement of a person in relation to their parents is referred to as social mobility. A World Economic Forum (WEF) study titled “Global Social Mobility Index 2020” assesses a child’s ability to live a better life than their parents, while relative social mobility looks at how an individual’s socioeconomic situation at birth has influenced their life …

JAKARTA – The ASEAN-Norwegian Cooperation Project on Local Capacity Building for Reducing Plastic Pollution in the Asean Region (ASEANO) has awarded grants to four young scientists and researchers for research on reducing plastic pollution, including an Indonesian and a Filipina. The grants were distributed by ASEANO in partnership with the Indonesian think tank Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) as part …

BANGKOK: Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and members of his Cabinet canceled plans to obtain AstraZeneca vaccine shots on Friday (Mar 12) after the country postponed their use due to fears of blood clots in some European countries, according to a health official. After a suspension of inoculations using the vaccine in Denmark, Norway, and Iceland, Prasit Watanapa, dean of …

MANILA – During the 11th Asean Military Operations Meeting (AMOM-11), held virtually on Wednesday, military officials from member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) exchanged views on various security issues such as terrorism, cybersecurity, and the coronavirus pandemic. Maj. Gen. Edgardo de Leon, AFP deputy chief-of-staff for operations, represented the Philippines at the conference, revealing that the number …

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said on Tuesday that Indonesia hopes the Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) with Singapore will increase two-way investment by 18% to 22% over the next five years (Mar 9). She added that the treaty, which entered into force on Tuesday after both sides exchanged instruments of ratification, would help Singapore and Indonesia speed up their economic recovery …

Activists said on Tuesday that hundreds of young Myanmar demonstrators who had been trapped by security forces in a Yangon district overnight had been able to escape, following demands from western powers and the United Nations for them to be allowed to leave. Myanmar has been thrown into turmoil following the army’s occupation and arrest of elected leader Aung San …

During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez is calling for rice to be added to a list of vital products excluded from restrictive trade measures in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). To avoid supply disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic, the ten member states signed a memorandum of understanding in November promising to refrain …

Southeast Asian countries rated the pandemic as their top concern in 2020, and China ranks first among its dialogue partners in terms of assisting the region. This is according to the ASEAN Studies Centre at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore’s 2021 State of Southeast Asia survey study. The majority of respondents (60.7 percent) from the ten members of the …

SINGAPORE – As part of their efforts to revive the region’s ailing tourism industry, members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are considering a digital coronavirus vaccine certificate. Allowing people who have been inoculated against COVID-19 to travel may help resurrect an intraregional industry that had surpassed 50 million annual tourist arrivals prior to the pandemic. According to Azmin …