Author: Chaerul Amanda

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) currently faces many formidable challenges, necessitating the organization to exhibit determination, unity, and more effective responsive measures. Amongst these issues, “maritime security” stands out as particularly vital. Although the definition of the term is contested, maritime security can be understood as “the absence of various threats to actors that operate on the sea, to activities that take place on and across the sea, to the well-being of the sea itself.” The contemporary Southeast Asian maritime security landscape is characterized by a diverse range of threats, including China’s increasing assertiveness in disputed waters. All of these…

The milestone dialogue between ASEAN and Japan addresses the critical facets of sustainable tourism, industry innovation, and regional cooperation for resilience and growth. The ASEAN – Japan Tourism Ministers’ Special Dialogue was held to commemorate the 50th year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation, and to discuss the “Next 50 years with ASEAN and Japan: Designing the Path to Sustainable Tourism Together”. Mr. Ha Van Sieu, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT) led the Vietnamese delegation to attend the event. The event was organized by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan, in collaboration with the Ministry of Information, Culture and…

In recent times, the bustling Tanah Abang Market in Jakarta has grappled with a stark decline in foot traffic, leaving numerous traders teetering on the brink. Some have been forced to shutter their shops due to the shrinking sales activities. Yet, this predicament isn’t confined solely to Tanah Abang Market; it has cast a pall over nearly every retail hub in Jakarta that once thrived as vibrant economic centers. Places like Glodok, Cipulir, Thamrin City, Ratu Plaza, and Taman Puring, among others, have long been synonymous with their distinct retail offerings. From an economic point of view, a confluence of…

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Minister of Cooperatives and SMEs (MenKopUKM) Teten Masduki said that countries in the ASEAN region are targets for global products, aka cross-border trade markets. The reason is, ASEAN has a population predicted to reach 679 million people with economic growth estimated at 4.6%.Teten said that ASEAN was also being targeted because its gross domestic product value reached US$3.36 trillion and ASEAN’s export contribution to the world reached 8.39% of total world exports with a value of US$2.05 trillion. For this reason, said Teten, attention must be paid to the growth of MSMEs so that it is…

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia has made a major contribution to economic growth in the ASEAN region, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, has said. This contribution has been evident during Indonesia’s chairmanship, particularly in the successful holding of the 43rd High-Level Conference (Summit) of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that resulted in the Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA). “ASEAN is a stable region, and Indonesia contributes to the political stability and economic growth of ASEAN,” Minister Hartarto said at the UOB Gateway to ASEAN Conference 2023 here on Wednesday. In addition, Indonesia is one of the countries…

This article is authored by Cchavi Vasisht, research associate, Centre for Neighbourhood Studies, Vivekananda International Foundation, New Delhi. The world is well aware of the ongoing political and socio-economic crisis in Myanmar as a result of military takeover in February 2021. Though the military predicted that it would crush the opposition forces and establish their rule by conducting the elections again, the military has faced tough resistance from the side of the opposition forces and other Ethnic Armed Organisations. As soon as the military took over power and arrested Aung San Suu Kyi and other leaders, the Association of South…

The urgency for Southeast Asian nations to switch to clean energy to combat climate change is breathing new life into a 20-year-old plan for the region to share power Hanoi, VIETNAM — The urgency for Southeast Asian nations to switch to clean energy to combat climate change is reinvigorating a 20-year-old plan for the region to share power. Malaysia and Indonesia inked a deal in Bali, Indonesia last month to study 18 potential locations where cross-border transmission lines can be set up. Those links could eventually generate power roughly equivalent to what 33 nuclear power plants would produce in a year. They…

The agenda of the meeting included capacity building, human resource development, enhancement of media cooperation and expansion of media networks. PHNOM PENH – Cambodia and several countries in the region are stepping up efforts to enhance cooperation in the field of information sharing, including efforts to combat misinformation or fake news. This commitment was made during the 16th Conference of the ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information (AMRI), and the 7th Conference of the AMRI Plus Three, held in the Vietnamese coastal city of Da Nang on September 22-23. Minister of Information Neth Pheaktra attended the forums, where he met with several of…

THE Asean Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Center) and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) of the Philippines have partnered to map out response mechanisms to various forms of disasters striking different parts of the region. Dubbed the “One Asean, One Response” roadshow, the Asean-OCD converged to highlight the importance of synergy among government agencies, private organizations, and other stakeholders both locally and internationally involved in Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM). Among those who attended the event were AHA Center Executive Director Lee Yam Ming, OCD Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno and representatives of the National Disaster Risk…

KUALA LUMPUR: It is never easy to leave one’s hometown and relocate to a new place and even harder to assimilate by adapting to different cultures or languages. However, the strangeness of being in a new place can be overcome and an individual can even grow to love the new location through a spirit of fellowship, compassion and unity among its people. This is the context in which Nur Alishar Mohamad Ali, 23, from Sibu, Sarawak, shared her story with Bernama, while recalling her initial anxiety upon receiving a place to study at Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) in Sintok, Kedah…