Asia

LAC dispute: China mobilizes thousands of troops, armored vehicles near border with India
10Jun By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

LAC dispute: China mobilizes thousands of troops, armored vehicles near border with India

Thousands of paratroopers, armored vehicles, and equipment were reportedly mobilized in a military drill by China with the country saying they could be deployed “within hours” to the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India in the Himalayas, where tensions have again flared.Both India and China have been at loggerheads over disagreements regarding LAC in India’s eastern Ladakh. Throughout the month of May, several areas along the LAC in Ladakh and North Sikkim witnessed major military build-up by both the Indian and Chinese armies, in a clear signal of escalating tension.According to state media reports, the soldiers and armored vehicles were transported from the central province of Hubei to an unspecified location in China’s northwest plateau, thousands of kilometers away, in “just a few h
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Mobile services suspiciously shut down in Pakistan’s Quetta
5Jun By Joanne SerriehNo Comments

Mobile services suspiciously shut down in Pakistan’s Quetta

Mobile and internet services have been shut down in Pakistan’s Quetta since Monday morning for unknown reasons, causing various problems to general public and the students availing online classes amidst the Covid-19 outbreak.According to the city’s media reports, cellular networks, which includes mobile services and internet went offline on Monday morning for no apparent reasons and have been shut down since.Liaqat Shahwani, the spokesperson for the Balochistan government, denied local government’s involvement in the matter and expressed ignorance on the issue.Shahwani further added that the provincial government has not requested the federal government for this measure and is completely unaware of the federal government’s involvement in the cellular network shutdown.This is not the first
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Responding to COVID-19 in Southeast Asia
20May By Desk TeamNo Comments

Responding to COVID-19 in Southeast Asia

Countries in Southeast Asia have mobilized a wide range of responses to the COVID-19 pandemic—with some better-prepared than others. Without a swift response, countries in the region risk a severe outbreak, especially among the more vulnerable refugees and internally displaced persons. The U.S. should examine its current aid portfolios—especially for poorer countries in the region—and consider whether it can offer additional assistance to its friends in Southeast Asia. It should also seek to safeguard liberty in the midst of a crisis that some countries could see as a carte blanche to expand government power. Southeast Asia has a broad spectrum of responses to the coronavirus, from the well-prepared in Singapore to the woefully inadequate in Cambodia. The U.S. should examine its current ai
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Almost 1,000 Malaysian students still stranded in Indonesia
20May By Desk TeamNo Comments

Almost 1,000 Malaysian students still stranded in Indonesia

The Malaysian Embassy here is closely monitoring Malaysian students still stranded in the republic, with the assistance of the National Association of Malaysian Students in Indonesia (PKPMI) and local authorities. It said 989 students are still in the neighbouring country, as they are still attending classes or in the midst of settling their student visa. So far, 2,799 Malaysian students in Indonesia have returned since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Malaysia’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Datuk Zainal Abidin Bakar, said the embassy and Education Malaysia in Indonesia (EMI) are always in contact through video conferencing with PKPMI representatives all over Indonesia to obtain the latest information on their condition. “We also told them to comply with the order of the authorities, to
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Tribes along India-Myanmar border dream of a ‘united Nagaland’
20May By Desk TeamNo Comments

Tribes along India-Myanmar border dream of a ‘united Nagaland’

Dozens of Naga tribes yearn to reunite the 3 million living in India with their 400,000 estranged cousins in Myanmar.The king of the Konyak tribe sleeps in Myanmar, but eats in India - his house, village and people divided by a mountain border which serves as a vulnerable lifeline now severed by a coronavirus lockdown. The Konyak are just one of dozens of Naga tribes, a people yearning to reunite the 3 million living in India with their 400,000 estranged - and much poorer - cousins in Myanmar's isolated far north.Many from Myanmar cross the border to attend school, sell vegetables or visit a hospital, as it is a days-long journey by foot to the nearest town in Myanmar. Even in normal times, they live at the mercy of Indian soldiers guarding checkpoints against the threat of armed groups fi
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COVID-19: Could food security in Southeast Asia be in jeopardy?
20May By Desk TeamNo Comments

COVID-19: Could food security in Southeast Asia be in jeopardy?

Countries and cities across Southeast Asia have been on different versions of lockdown for over a month, with heightened border restrictions and controls on the movement of labor. Last month, the Global Food Security Index (GFSI) 2019 Asia Pacific regional report was released. It revealed the state of food security systems in the region by measuring the three core pillars of food security: affordability, availability, and quality and safety. The GFSI was developed by The Economist Intelligence Unit providing a common framework for understanding the root causes of food insecurity. For the second consecutive year, Singapore maintained its position as the most food secure country in Asia Pacific, and globally. However, the report showed significant disparity in food security across the region
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China Tensions in Southeast Asia Flare Online
20May By Desk TeamNo Comments

China Tensions in Southeast Asia Flare Online

Social media anger from Chinese nationalists over a Thai internet model's comments on the coronavirus has set off a storm, uniting pro-democracy campaigners against pro-Beijing cyber-warriors, with insults and mocking memes flying. The quarrel, which has seen Southeast Asian internet users join forces with those in Taiwan and Hong Kong, has highlighted old tensions between China and its smaller neighbors fanned by the emergence of the new coronavirus. Political analysts and activists said the online row, which started at the weekend, was unique in volume and regional spread at a time when ever more of life has been forced online. "This is the first transnational geopolitical Twitter war Thais have engaged in," said Prajak Kongkirati of Bangkok's Thammasat University. "We see people questio
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Indonesia suspends all passenger travel across cities to prevent Ramadan exodus
8May By Desk TeamNo Comments

Indonesia suspends all passenger travel across cities to prevent Ramadan exodus

The Transportation Ministry will restrict all passenger travel starting on Friday as the government attempts to prevent citizens from participating in the annual Idul Fitri tradition of mudik (exodus) to curb the spread of COVID-19. The ban will not apply to cargo transportation or to vehicles serving special purposes, such as ambulances and fire trucks.  “The ban will apply to all types of public and private transportation by air, sea, land and railway, except for vehicles carrying leaders of state institutions, police and military vehicles, ambulances, fire trucks, hearses and vehicles transporting logistical supplies, staple goods and medicines,” ministry spokesperson Adita Irawati said in a statement on Thursday. She added that the ban would apply to vehicles enteri
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The curious case of Ravio Patra: Why Indonesian cyberspace is a dystopian nightmare
8May By Desk TeamNo Comments

The curious case of Ravio Patra: Why Indonesian cyberspace is a dystopian nightmare

Imagine checking your phone and instead of finding a list of unread WhatsApp messages from families and colleagues, you find a harrowing notification saying, “You’ve registered your number on another phone”. After scrambling on social media to announce the hacking, you gain control of the text messaging application, but only to find that whoever hacked your account has broadcast a message inciting people to take part in nationwide riots a day before May Day. You realize there is something sinister about the whole incident and seek advice from human rights organizations who tell you to switch off your phone and find a safe house. But the police get to you first. They arrest you on incitement charges, along with a foreign national, just before you step into a vehicle owned by a local
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Ramadan bazaars go digital in Southeast Asia amid pandemic
8May By Desk TeamNo Comments

Ramadan bazaars go digital in Southeast Asia amid pandemic

KUALA LUMPUR - For 15 years, Siti Zabedah Abdul Wahab’s family food business has opened for one month a year, selling murtabak, a pan-fried bread stuffed with meat, at Malaysia’s popular Ramadan bazaars. But this year, Murtabak Mami Murtabak Sultan started taking orders on Whatsapp and Facebook weeks before the Muslim fasting month began on April 23, as authorities across Southeast Asia called off Ramadan bazaars amid the coronavirus pandemic. “This is the first time we are selling online, so we wanted to start early to make sure our customers can find us,” 38-year-old Siti Zabedah told Reuters. Ramadan is traditionally a lucrative time for food vendors in Muslim-majority countries, with more people going out for late-night meals after breaking their fast at sunset. But the g
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