ASEAN News

Japan – Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Ramon Lopez has praised the Asia-Japan Investing for the Future Initiative, which seeks to improve investment cooperation in Asia. Lopez said the Japan-led project is likely to assist Southeast Asian countries’ post-pandemic recovery efforts, speaking at the 47th Asean-Japan business summit on Thursday. The Asia-Japan Investing or Future Initiative, …

Malaysia – Tim Leissner, a former Goldman Sachs partner, confessed to accepting US$60 million in bribes, lying to the bank about his unethical dealings, and faking divorce paperwork twice to take on new spouses before a US court. Despite his history of deception, prosecutors are pleading with jurors to trust Leissner in the trial of Roger Ng, a former Goldman …

Malaysia – Kelvin Pang Ching Kuen, Malaysia’s national esports manager for the Hanoi SEA Games, has urged the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) to announce the four players who qualified for the Fifa Online 4 (FO4) electronic game at the biannual Games in May. He said that the four players recommended by the Malaysia Esports Federation (MESF) had the ability …

ASEAN – On the 2nd of March, sixty participants from ASEAN Member States convened electronically for the ASEAN-FIFA Webinar: Universal Design for Football Stadia and Sports Facilities, which included a mix of FIFA member associations, government officials, and sports practitioners. The webinar served as a forum for promoting accessible access for handicapped persons to football stadiums and sports facilities, as …

Singapore – Singapore has imposed sanctions on Russia on Saturday that include four banks and an export embargo on electronics, computers and military products, in a rare measure by the Asian financial center in response to what it said was Moscow’s “dangerous precedent” in Ukraine. The small city-state, a worldwide shipping center, does not usually impose sanctions on its own …

Singapore – By the fourth quarter of this year, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will have established a new Digital and Intelligence Service (DIS) to handle rising challenges in the digital realm. Along with the present Army, Navy, and Air Force, this will be the SAF‘s fourth service. “The digital terrain has become as real as the land, air, and …

Myanmar – According to a Cambodian foreign ministry official, a Southeast Asian special envoy will visit Myanmar from March 20 to 23, in an attempt to start a peace process in a nation ravaged by turmoil since a coup a year ago. Last month, Cambodia’s foreign minister, Prak Sokhonn, requested Myanmar’s governing generals to allow him to speak with all …

ASEAN – Issues such as the South China Sea conflicts, regional power competition between China and the Western-led Quad alliance, Myanmar‘s military persecution of its Rohingya community, and this year’s coup d’etat have all put ASEAN unity to the test in recent years. Too frequently, bureaucrats fail to present a cohesive front, instead issuing feeble, formulaic pronouncements in reaction to …

Singapore – According to a governing party Member of Parliament, the PAP must quickly pick the future Prime Minister (PM) and Deputy Prime Ministers (DPM) in order to give them the maximum amount of time feasible before taking over as Singapore’s leader. “We can have all the appropriate fiscal policies in place and the fortitude to carry them through, despite the pain …

Taiwan – The administration said that comparing Taiwan’s position to Ukraine’s is wrong since the two are fundamentally different, and that individuals should not attempt to manipulate the situation by stating “today’s Ukraine is tomorrow’s Taiwan.” The invasion of Ukraine by Russia is being keenly watched in Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory and has been subjected to …