Japan pledges assistance in maritime security aid to Vietnam

Japan has promised Vietnam ships to strengthen its forces in the South China Sea, with the two nations describing large-scale land reclamation there as a threat to peace — a veiled reference to China. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also pledged on Tuesday some $835 million in infrastructure loans after holding talks with Nguyen Phu Trong, […]

On the anniversary of their deaths, the families of murdered British pair express their continued grief

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The families of two British tourists murdered in Thailand have spoken of their “torturous pain” and “destroyed lives” one year on from the deaths. Hannah Witheridge, 23, from Norfolk, and David Miller, 24, from Jersey, were found dead on the island of Koh Tao on 15 September last year. Miss Witheridge’s family paid tribute to […]

Coloured T shirts the code for racial unrest in KL

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Thousands of ethnic Malay nationalists are expected to take to the streets to protest against a mass rally last month calling on embattled Prime Minister Najib Razak to resign, but critics fear the gathering could turn ugly, souring community relations in the ethnically diverse nation. Concern centres on the organisers’ claim that they also want […]

Indonesia expresses optimism for improved diplomatic relations with Australia following Malcolm Turnbull’s promotion to leader

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The Indonesian government has welcomed the leadership change in Australia, saying it hopes diplomatic relations can improve under Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership. During Tony Abbott’s time as leader a spying row, controversy over boat turn-backs and the execution of the Bali Nine duo saw Australia’s diplomatic relationship with Indonesia plummet to what many described as an […]

Hamid Ansari claims that there is room for investment from both India and China

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There is space for both India and China to invest in Cambodia, Vice President Hamid Ansari said today as he dismissed the notion that India’s foray into the Southeast Asian country would make the communist giant uneasy.  “We are doing what we can do best, capacity building, some specialised areas of assistance like water resources, […]

Singapore’s offer to help with the Indonesian fires is rejected

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Indonesia has declined Singapore’s assistance to fight http://www.inseasia.com/2015/09/slash-and-burn-the-immorality-of-palm-oil/ , the island republic’s The Sunday Times reported today. The fires in Indonesia have increased in recent weeks, with Jakarta earlier on accepting Singapore’s offer to fight the annual smoke problem. “While the Indonesian authorities accepted our offer of assistance initially, they have since expressed appreciation for […]

Vietnam developing as leader in Asia trade

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Vietnam is becoming the great hope among those involved in Asian trade, as neighbouring economies continue to flounder. Speakers at GTR Asia Trade Finance Week in Singapore singled out the Mekong Delta country as one in transformation and voiced hopes that its rapid improvement would continue apace. Rajiv Biswas, chief economist for Asia Pacific at […]

One of the Erawan Bombers is Chinese

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One of the alleged accomplices to the key suspect wanted over the Erawan Shrine bombing in the Thai capital Bangkok last month is Chinese, officials from both countries say. They say that Yusufu Mieraili was born in Xinjiang, home to China’s Muslim Uighur minority. A Chinese official told the Global Times that the bombing may […]

Netflix to launch in Singapore

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Internet television network Netflix will launch in Singapore in early 2016, it said in a statement on Wednesday (Sep 9). Once launched, internet users in Singapore will be able to subscribe to Netflix and instantly watch a curated selection of popular TV shows and movies on nearly any internet-connected screen. “As the central hub in […]

The 1MDB scandal tracked to U.A.E

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The corruption scandal around an economic-development fund in Malaysia is spilling beyond the country’s borders, as officials at a United Arab Emirates state investment vehicle raise questions about more than a billion dollars in money that they said is missing. Abu Dhabi has long been a source of support for the fund, 1Malaysia Development Bhd., […]