Author: Chaerul Amanda

MANILA – The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) targets to enhance the use of various languages in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Philippines. In a speech during the kick-off ceremony of the ASEAN’s 56th founding anniversary, CHED Chairperson J. Prospero de Vera III said focusing on ASEAN languages and identity would fortify the regional spirit of unity.”It is better to show unity in diversity in ASEAN by harnessing the languages of different ASEAN countries in our competitions whether in songs, posters, etc.,” he said.De Vera particularly pitched the idea of raising…

PHNOM PENH (The Phnom Penh Post/Asia News Network): Following the success of the event in the past three years, Asean will launch the 4th annual Asean Online Sale Day (AOSD), the largest online shopping event in South-East Asia. The sale will run from Aug 8-22 and will bring together the best of Asean goods and services from across the region on a single e-commerce platform. In 2020, more than 200 e-commerce businesses participated in the event, offering a large range of goods and services at promotional or heavily discounted rates through their e-commerce platforms, said an Aug 3 statement by…

Jakarta (ANTARA) – President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) stated that all matters pertaining to the implementation of the 43rd ASEAN Summit, scheduled in Jakarta on September 5-7, 2023, have been prepared. After attending the ASEAN 56th Anniversary commemoration event here on Tuesday, Jokowi explained that the readiness is expected to reach 100 percent ahead of the Southeast Asian bloc’s summit in September 2023. “Everything has been planned and prepared, and we hope that everything will be 100-percent ready during the ASEAN Summit in September,” Jokowi remarked. When ANTARA sought confirmation on the presence of non-ASEAN heads of state who will attend the 43rd…

Singapore and Australia updated the progress of their Green Economy Agreement (SAGEA) during the 8th Singapore-Australia Annual Leaders’ Meeting in June 2023. The SAGEA was the world’s first agreement of its kind when it was signed in October 2022. The agreement focuses on promoting trade and investment in environmental goods and services, developing frameworks to support green growth sectors, and catalyzing technology and partnerships to help businesses implement green practices. What are the new developments in the GEA? Establishment of a Green and Shipping Corridor Under the GEA, Singapore and Australia have agreed to establish a Green Shipping Corridor by the…

At the Democracy Dialogue held by The Jakarta Post as part of its 40th anniversary celebrations, one of the panelists made a very sobering observation about how in Indonesia, the burgeoning middle-class, and inevitably the youth that makes up a sizeable portion of it, should not be mistaken for a reliable engine of democracy. This conclusion was made in response to a question from the audience on whether it is worth it for Indonesia to strive for a more substantive democracy, at a time when “the minimalist version” is already serving its purpose. The backdrop to this question was likely…

The previous U.S. government under President Donald Trump was passive towards Southeast Asia and the ASEAN bloc and withdrew the U.S. from the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) trade agreement. During his tenure in office starting in 2007, Trump missed three East Asia plenaries and attended only one of three U.S.-ASEAN summits. The United States became an ASEAN dialogue partner in 1977, 10 years after the founding of the Southeast Asian economic union. Trade in goods and services between the U.S. and ASEAN totaled an estimated US$441.7 billion in 2021, an increase from US$362.2 billion in 2020, and…

The government views the construction of National Highway 48, linking National Road 10 to Pursat, Battambang and Pailin provinces and further connecting Cambodia’s coasts to Thailand, as a crucial economic artery for the country. The highway has already made significant strides in enhancing national communication and integration, particularly with the deep-sea port in Sihanoukville. It has expedited trade and investment, while also enabling more efficient, quicker and cost-effective transport of agricultural and agro-industrial crops. According to the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, the road also forms part of the ASEAN Highway 123 and the southern corridor of the Greater…

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The upcoming 44th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) General Assembly aims to promote peace and stability in Southeast Asia, according to the House of Representatives’ (DPR’s) Committee for Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation (BKSAP). “The main purpose of AIPA, politically, is to promote regional stability and surely to ensure peace will be maintained in the future,” BKSAP’s deputy chair, Putu Supadma Rudana, stated at the Parliament Complex here on Friday (July 21). Speaking at the “Responsive Parliament for a Stable and Prosperous ASEAN” discussion agenda, the legislator emphasized that the ASEAN parliaments should be responsive to address common issues. “Hence, we…

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia and Japan discussed several labor issues on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in Indore, India, on Friday. The issues were discussed by Indonesian Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah and the Japanese Minister of Health, Labor, and Welfare, Katsunobu Kato. One of the issues discussed was the presence of labor policy advisors from Japan in Indonesia, which, according to Fauziyah, is very important for supporting labor development. “Some of the benefits of having labor policy advisors include updating information on Japanese labor regulations and policies and increasing the ministry’s human resource capacity through the Sharoushi program in…

Paris, Washington (13/7 – 50) Kenes Rakishev (Keñes Hamitūly Raqyşev) aka Kenges Rakishev is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, former special envoy for Kazakhstan, head of the Kazakh boxing federation, a family man, and most importantly, a man of success. Under Kenges Rakishev’s leadership, the Kazakh female and male boxing squad leaped considerable forward and secured the top ranking in the recent boxing championship putting Kazakhstan boxing squarely in the top ranking in the world. A total of 21 medals were won by the Kazakhstan’s boxers – a tally of six gold, seven silver and eight bronze – and all were honoured…