Author: Pyae Soe

Myanmar junta’s Union Election Commission (UEC) and 37 political parties that have registered for a proposed general election met in Naypyitaw on Monday to discuss the opening of party offices. Under the junta’s Political Parties Registration Law, parties running in a general election have 180 days to open offices in at least 50 percent of Myanmar’s townships after their registration is approved. More than 60 parties have applied for UEC registration and only 37 have been approved. Parties contesting in a single region or state are required to open at least five township offices. The military proxy Union Solidarity and…

BANGKOK – The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, has held discussions with the Royal Thai Government (RTG) on the situation of refugees and stateless people in the country during a three-day visit which concludes on Tuesday. In line with Thailand’s longstanding tradition of providing humanitarian protection and assistance to people fleeing unrest and conflict, the High Commissioner advocated for the country to maintain open borders and observe the principle of non-refoulement. Grandi visited the Tham Hin Temporary Shelter in Ratchaburi Province, where he was welcomed by refugees from Myanmar who shared with him their experiences and hopes…

Paris, Frankfurt (27/10 – 20) Indonesian Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto and Vice Presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka registered on Wednesday, Oct 25, the last open day, with the General Election Commission, the recently-forged Prabowo-Gibran team accompanied by millions of sympathizers; there were lengthy traffic jams. Prabowo-Gibran thus complements the two other teams of presidential and vice presidential candidates who registered on the first day: Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar and Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud MD. The three couples have undergone medical tests and the results will come out this afternoon (Oct 27). Since the advent of what is known as Reformasi, or a “reform…

Paris (27/10 – 40) An independent investigation done by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) has found that the little-known daughter of Tajikistan’s president has built a medical empire that is generously supported by the state with finance and PR, and her husband, who is ambassador to Turkey, provides her with lobbying services. Parvina Rakhmonova – fifth daughter of the president Emomali Rahmon. Many relatives of the head of Tajikistan became owners of large fortunes or took high government positions after he came to power more than thirty years ago. Unlike Emomali Rahmon’s other children, Parvina is almost unknown to the general public.…

Human rights groups on Tuesday urged Indonesia to investigate suspected arms sales by state-owned companies to Myanmar, where Indonesia has been trying to promote reconciliation since a 2021 military coup triggered widespread conflict. Groups filed a complaint with Indonesia’s national human rights commission on Monday alleging that three state-owned arms makers had been selling equipment to Myanmar since the coup, according to Feri Amsari, a legal adviser to the activists.Myanmar has been racked by violence since the military overthrew a government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi more than two years ago.The group that drew up the complaint…

A teenager in Thailand suspected of killing two people in a shooting spree at a high-end shopping centre in the capital, Bangkok, will be charged with premeditated murder, attempted murder and illegal firearms possession, among other offences, police said. The suspect, who is 14, will be sent to a juvenile court later on Wednesday, Major General Nakarin Sukhontawit of Bangkok police said, adding that officers were having difficulties communicating with the suspect. Police said the teenager appeared to have suffered a psychological breakdown and had modified a handgun, which was designed to fire blanks, to allow him to fire live ammunition. Chaos…

Vietnam’s tra fish exports to the US are expecting a better outlook in the remaining months of this year after receiving some good news. In early September, the US Department of Commerce (DOC) lowered anti-dumping duties on frozen tra fish fillets from Vietnam following its latest preliminary conclusion. The Federal Register, the daily journal of the US government, published the preliminary results of the 19th anti-dumping duty administrative review (POR19) by DOC on Vietnam’s frozen tra fish fillets exported to the US for the period of August 1, 2021 to July 31, 2022. Accordingly, the US authority determined that two…

The acting leader of Myanmar’s government-in-exile said resistance forces are in control of about 60% of the country’s territory and poised to threaten the ruling junta in key strongholds as fighting rages across the Southeast Asian nation. Violence has intensified in Myanmar as the military led by Min Aung Hlaing, facing a crumbling economy and growing signs of dissent within his regime, struggles to keep up with a multi-front conflict from several armed ethnic groups. A shadow government allied with ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi and formed after the 2021 coup, along with other armed ethnic groups, have been…

BANGKOK – Several areas of the Bangkok metropolitan area, which covers Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Samut Prakan provinces, were inundated with floodwaters on Tuesday evening after hours of torrential rain. According to the Thai capital city’s Drainage Department, the highest rainfall was recorded at 8.30pm in Phra Khanong district at 140.5mm. Flash floods have been reported in several areas, including the Soi Pridi Banomyong (Sukhumvit 71), Udomsuk Raod and Bangna districts. The floods caused traffic on Sukhumvit Road and its connecting Sois to come to a standstill, with several vehicles reportedly breaking down due to the flood water. The Bangkok Metropolitan…

BANGKOK (NNT) – Efforts to bolster labor cooperation between Thailand and Papua New Guinea have taken a major step forward, with both nations engaging in high-level discussions during a recent visit to Thailand by Papuan officials. Thai Labor Minister Phipat Ratchakitprakarn welcomed Her Excellency Kessy Sawang, Papua New Guinea’s Minister for Labour and Employment, alongside her delegation. The two ministers discussed elevating cooperation in the labor sector, touching on three key international labor agreements. These agreements include Convention Number 81 on labor inspection, Number 144 on tripartite consultations, and Number 190 concerning violence and harassment. Minister Kessy Sawang expressed her gratitude…