Regional

Timor-Leste Moves to Join Cluster Munition Ban at Vientiane Conference

Timor-Leste has taken a formal step toward joining the Convention on Cluster Munitions, signing a declaration of accession in Vientiane on 15 September during the treaty’s Third Review Conference. Foreign Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas signed the Declaration of Accession, and handed to Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister...

Seven-Year-Old Becomes Laos’ Youngest Internationally Rated Chess Player

Seven-year-old Bounthiengtham “Jayson” Sengphachan has already done something no Lao chess player his age...

Thailand’s HIV Cases Pass 550,000, Laos Reports Rising Infections Among Young People

Thailand has recorded 557,993 cumulative HIV cases, health authorities say, even as new infections...

Laos, Vietnam Set USD 4 Billion Trade Goal as Economic Ties Grow

Laos and Vietnam are pushing to take their economic partnership to the next level,...

Former MRC Chief Anoulak Kittikhoun Named First Lao Head of Mekong Institute

Former Mekong River Commission (MRC) Chief Executive Officer Anoulak Kittikhoun has been appointed Executive...

Thai Prime Minister Propels ‘Four Countries, One Destination’ Tourism Initiative

Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin presented an ambitious vision for Southeast Asian nations to function as one tourist destination during the World Economic Forum...

‘Battery of Southeast Asia’ Plans Move Forward as Laos Enhances Trade Capacity With Cambodia

Laos and Cambodia have reiterated their commitment to enhancing energy trade between the two countries, following the establishment of a 500-kilovolt transmission line in...

Thai Court of Appeals Hands an Activist a Record 50-Year Prison Term for Insulting the Monarchy

BANGKOK (AP) — A court of appeals in Thailand has handed a political activist a record sentence for the criminal offense of insulting the...

ASEAN Nears 35 Percent Renewable Energy Target

Solar and wind energy capacity in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region witnessed a 20 percent increase in 2023, reaching a total...

Thai Officials, Accused of Coddling Jailed Ex-pm, Say Not Calling Him ‘Inmate’ Is Standard Practice

BANGKOK (AP) — Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is serving a prison sentence after being convicted of wrongdoing in office, but he shouldn’t...

North Korean Cyber Empire Extends to Money Laundering in Southeast Asia, UNODC Reports

The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has unveiled a troubling nexus between North Korea's notorious Lazarus Group, renowned for cyberheists, and...