Latest Association of Southeast Asian Nations News

Filipino woman on Indonesia death row recalls a stunning last minute reprieve and 'miracle' transfer

Dec. 14, 2024 13:14 PM EST

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Filipino death row inmate Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso knelt to pray when officers came to take her to an execution site in May 2015, just a few feet away from her isolation cell on an Indonesian prison island, where a 13-member firing squad was waiting. ...

Indonesia agrees to repatriate Filipino woman who spent years on death row over drug trafficking

Dec. 06, 2024 06:05 AM EST

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia and the Philippines signed a deal on Friday to send home a Filipino death-row drug convict who was nearly executed by firing squad in 2015, as the new administration of President Prabowo Subianto seeks to shore up diplomatic ties with neighboring countries. ...

Southeast Asian defense chiefs discuss regional security with US, China and other partner nations

Nov. 21, 2024 07:51 AM EST

VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) — Southeast Asian defense chiefs met Thursday with their counterparts from China, the United States and other nations in Laos for security talks, which come as Beijing’s increasingly assertive stance in its claim to most of the South China Sea is leading to more...

US defense chief regrets China's decision not to meet during Southeast Asian security talks

Nov. 20, 2024 20:26 PM EST

VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) — U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin expressed regret Wednesday that his Chinese counterpart chose not to hold talks with him during meetings of Southeast Asian defense chiefs in Laos, calling it a setback for the entire region. The Association of Southeast...

China's exports grew 12.7% in October, fastest pace in more than 2 years

Nov. 07, 2024 01:39 AM EST

HONG KONG (AP) — China's exports rose 12.7% in October from a year earlier, the fastest monthly growth in more than two years, according to customs data released Thursday. The report came a day after former President Donald Trump won Tuesday’s election, gaining a second term as...

UN envoy warns Myanmar is in crisis, with conflict escalating and criminal networks 'out of control'

Oct. 30, 2024 01:08 AM EDT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. special envoy for Myanmar warned that the Southeast Asian nation is in crisis, with conflict escalating, criminal networks “out of control” and human suffering at unprecedented levels. Julie Bishop told the U.N. General Assembly’s human rights...

Blinken tells ASEAN the US is worried about China's 'dangerous' actions in disputed sea.

Oct. 11, 2024 08:34 AM EDT

VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Southeast Asian leaders Friday that the U.S. is concerned about China's “increasingly dangerous and unlawful” activities in the disputed South China Sea during an annual summit meeting, and pledged the U.S. will continue to...

China defiant over South China Sea skirmishes in ASEAN talks and blames meddling by foreign forces

Oct. 10, 2024 08:35 AM EDT

VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) — Southeast Asian leaders stepped up pressure on China to respect international law following clashes in the disputed South China Sea, but Chinese Premier Li Qiang was defiant during annual summit talks on Thursday as he blamed “external forces” for interfering in...

Southeast Asian leaders meet in Laos to discuss Myanmar war and disputed sea

Oct. 09, 2024 06:48 AM EDT

VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) — Southeast Asian leaders gathered Wednesday for an annual forum that will focus on the civil war in Myanmar and territorial tensions in the South China Sea, two key challenges that have tested the bloc's credibility. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations...

Blinken heads to Asia this week for a summit of regional leaders

Oct. 08, 2024 12:48 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken will make his 19th trip in office to Asia this week when he leads the U.S. delegation to a meeting of East Asian leaders in Laos. The State Department said Tuesday that Blinken would fill in for President Joe Biden at the annual...