Author: Chaerul Amanda

The Philippine Coast Guard has a new responsibility: providing public evidence of China’s unlawful maritime activities. What’s behind the shift? Over the past few months, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has expanded its responsibilities beyond its usual task of patrolling the West Philippine Sea, the portion of the South China Sea claimed by Manila. The PCG has now taken on the role of exposing the unlawful activities of both the China Coast Guard (CCG) and alleged Chinese Maritime Militia (CMM). This new responsibility came about following an incident in February, where the CCG used a military-grade laser against a 44-meter PCG vessel that was…

Major hotel operators in Thailand have announced expansion plans amid a bright outlook for tourism as Southeast Asia’s second largest economy expects 30 million foreign arrivals this year. Hospitality giant Centara Hotels and Resorts has set aside 23 billion baht ($665 million) to build at least six hotels over the next few years, Nikkei Asia reported. It plans to open a Centara hotel in Osaka on July 1 and another five hotels in Thailand. Budget hotel operator Erawan Group has also revealed its plan to double the number of its Hop Inn hotels to 100 by 2025. It currently operates 50 hotels…

(9/3 – 50) Kazakhstan is gearing up for snap elections of the lower house of parliament on March 19, and there is a sense of anticipation in the air. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who came to power in 2019, called for snap elections in the wake of the deadly street protests in January 2022. The elections are part of the president’s ambitious reform agenda, Jana Kazakhstan (New Kazakhstan), which aims to usher in a new era of political liberalization. The parliamentary elections are stage two of Tokayev’s program, following his re-election winning 80 percent of the votes last November. The coming…

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Governor of Bank Indonesia (BI) Perry Warjiyo stated that Indonesia’s economy would be able to grow 5.1 percent annually in 2023 as the authority has continued to control inflation. “Inflation in the second half (of 2023) can (fall) below 4 percent. In the first semester, inflation remains above 5 percent so we have to work hard in reducing inflation, especially food inflation,” he said at the kick-off event for the 2023 Food Inflation Control National Movement (GNPIP) followed online on Sunday. Inflation control by maintaining food security will encourage people’s consumption which contributes more than 50 percent to the gross…

Vladimir Putin was left twitching his feet after a meeting with Kassym-Jomart Tokayev earlier this week. The Kazakh president was reelected earlier this month and traveled to the Russian capital to meet with Putin and hold talks. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who has openly defied major ally Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, secured a second term in Sunday’s snap election with 81.31% of the vote. Tokayev told Putin at a meeting during the summer that Kazakhstan would not recognise the pro-Russian separatist statelets in eastern Ukraine that Moscow later claimed to have annexed. Now, during the two leaders’ meeting…

The return of important members from the Sang Anakhot Thai Party (SATP) to the ruling Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), according to Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the youngest daughter of the late prime minister Thaksin, is of no concern to her because it was just a political sham. “Those joining the ruling party are not new people; they are longtime friends who formerly belonged to Palang Pracharath. She was referring to PPRP head and deputy prime minister Prawit Wongsuwon. “But bringing in some political groupings demonstrates that Gen Prawit has more charm and is more accepted than Gen Prayut (Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha),” she remarked. Before…

Trade, security and sustainable development are on the agenda of a commemorative summit between leaders from the European Union and ASEAN. Geopolitical divisions could overshadow a commemorative summit marking 45 years of diplomatic relations between Europe and Southeast Asia, when leaders from the two regions gather in Brussels on Wednesday (Dec 14). Trade, security and sustainable development are on the agenda at the joint summit between leaders from the European Union (EU) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). But geopolitics could come into play at the talks. GEOPOLITICAL TENSIONS HANG OVER JOINT SUMMIT Brussels will likely push the…