Today Around Southeast Asia
PHUKETWAN recognises the importance of Asean with the Economic Community approaching and marks what's happening around the region with a column, Asean Today, that will cease when Phuketwan closes on December 31.
Myanmar
irrawaddy.org In a meeting with more than 80 political parties, President Thein Sein urged the leaders of Myanmar's next government to continue the course of reforms that his Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) set in motion four years ago, one week after the ruling government suffered a crushing defeat at the ballot box.
Philippines
voanews.com Philippine authorities preparing for this week's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders' summit completed security simulations and placed the entire country on ''full alert'' a day ahead of schedule.
Malaysia
PTI Malaysia said it will tighten security at all entry points in the country including airports ahead of the upcoming Asean summit after the horrific terror attacks in Paris that killed over 120 people: ''We are not only in a state of preparedness but are increasing our strength in terms of manpower, especially for next week when Malaysia hosts the Asean Summit.''
Singapore
channelnewsasia.com Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his Australian counterpart Malcolm Turnbull met for the first time for bilateral talks on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Antalya, Turkey.
Indonesia
digitaljournal.com When Indonesia narcotics agency chief Budi Waseso said last week that he may use crocodiles to guard the country's drug-convicts while they serve out their terms - or await their executions - he was scoffed at. So much so that some government officials denied such a thing would be done. But Waseso said he was serious and said he may add tigers and flesh-eating piranhas to guard duty.
Cambodia
khmertimeskh.com Prime Minister Hun Sen offered his condolences to the families of victims and French President Francois Hollande following the deadly, coordinated terrorist attacks on Paris Friday night in which 350 people were injured and129 killed, some of whom lost their lives during a shootout in front of Cambodian restaurant Petit Cambodge.
Vietnam
stuff.co.nz New Zealand has signed a series of agreements with Vietnam promising closer ties in the areas of aviation, health and education. Prime Minister John Key described it as a ''new era'' in bilateral relations between the two countries.
Laos
reuters China aims to complete laying a 418-kilometre railway from a border town to Laos by 2020, the official China Economic Herald reported, as the economic giant seeks a new route into the emerging markets of Southeast Asia. The two countries agreed on Friday to jointly build a 40-billion yuan ($6.28 billion) railway from the border town of Boten to the Laos capital Vientiane.
Brunei
cihan.com.tr Brunei Darussalam has joined the international community in condemning the coordinated terror attacks in Paris, the state Radio Television Brunei (RTB) reported on its official website.
Condolences from world leaders to the victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris, but would it not also be interesting to know what the mosques in e.g. Phuket says about it?
Posted by Bo on November 16, 2015 10:09
Editor Comment:
I can assure you that the mosques of Phuket would be fully sympathetic to the French people, Bo. As someone points out on Facebook, there are 6 million Muslims in France. If 10 percent of them were extremists, that would be 600,000. If there were one tenth of one percent who were extremists, that would be 6000. The truth is, there are just a handful of psychopaths. The Muslim religion is not the problem. Extremism is the problem. Fighting hatred with hatred has always failed. The only proven antidote to extremism is tolerance. I wonder what the churches on Phuket say about that?
While the deaths in Paris and Beirut cannot be ignored, what's far more concerning in Myanmar and Thailand at present is ''hate speech'' by Buddhist extremists against Muslims.