Author: Dhaafir Jaabir

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) to promote and strengthen shared interests between the two organisations in the areas of market access, innovative events, membership and communications. PATA chair Peter Semone noted that PATA was thrilled to partner with SPTO in implementing these exciting development opportunities to encourage advocacy marketing and communication, insightful market research, and innovative events for its member organisations. “PATA is looking forward to further connecting with SPTO on areas of cooperation for travel and tourism within the Asia Pacific region. This connection will provide more opportunities to…

PHNOM PENH – The Cambodian and Chinese militaries will conduct their sixth joint exercises near the middle of the year, according to the Ministry of National Defence. An April 25 social media post by the ministry said that a joint working group from both countries was already discussing the proposed exercises, which would focus on public health and humanitarian work. General Ith Sarath, deputy commander-in-chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), met with the working group on April 25. “Following the success of the Golden Dragon 2023 military drills, the armies of both nations have agreed to mount another training…

Myanmar’s Rakhine State, which borders Bangladesh to the west, is now relatively stable despite the country’s escalating countrywide civil war, under de facto control of the Arakan Army (AA), one of the country’s most powerful ethnic armed groups. Established in 2009 with its political goal of greater autonomy for the people of Rakhine, the AA claims that it now has 30,000 people under arms, around 6,000 of which are supporting its ethnic allies and resistance groups in Kachin, Karen, and Shan states and elsewhere in the country. Since it began clashing with the Myanmar military in western Myanmar in 2015, the…

Vietnam is seeking to ease visa requirements to boost foreign tourist numbers. Among the changes being discussed is increasing the duration of e-visa recipients to 45 days as well as increasing the list of countries for visa exemption. Vietnam’s government is seeking to relax visa requirements to woo more foreign visitors into the country and boost the tourism industry. Among the changes being discussed include offering more visa waivers for foreign tourists, expanding the e-visa program, and increasing the duration of stays for visitors. Vietnam expects to handle 110 million tourists in 2023, with an estimated 8 million coming from…

Beni Suryadi, manager of the Power, Fossil Fuel, Alternative Energy and Storage department, has been concurrently appointed acting head of the new unit. He says he is there to realise a task seen as “mission impossible”. The Asean Centre for Energy (ACE), a regional organisation representing the energy interests of 10 Southeast Asian nations, has launched a new “Sustainable Renewable Energy” department, which will focus on industrial and transport applications for clean energy. Beni Suryadi, who leads the “Power, Fossil Fuel, Alternative Energy and Storage” team at the Jakarta-based centre, will concurrently be the acting manager of the new department. Suryadi explained…

KUALA LUMPUR (March 24): Here is a brief recap of some corporate announcements that made the news on Friday (March 24) involving Axiata Group Bhd, Nestlé (Malaysia) Bhd, Konsortium Transnasional Bhd, Dagang NeXchange Bhd (DNeX), PUC Bhd, Menang Corp (M) Bhd, Salcon Bhd, Swift Haulage Bhd, Metrod Holdings Bhd, Prolexus Bhd, Astino Bhd, Classita Holdings Bhd and Careplus Group Bhd. Axiata Group Bhd has appointed the group’s chief financial officer (CFO) and joint-interim group CEO Vivek Sood as managing director and group CEO, effective Friday, while his joint-interim CEO partner Dr Hans Wijayasuriya was appointed group executive director and CEO…

China threatened “serious consequences” Friday after the United States Navy sailed a destroyer around the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea for the second day in a row, in a move Beijing claimed was a violation of its sovereignty and security. The warning comes amid growing tensions between China and the United States in the region, as Washington pushes back at Beijing’s growingly assertive posture in the South China Sea, a strategic waterway it claims virtually in its entirety. On Thursday, after the U.S. sailed the USS Milius guided-missile destroyer near the Paracel Islands, China said its navy…

Recently, the United States and the Philippines reached a defense agreement, and the Philippines agreed to open four new military bases to the US military. In other words, the number of US military bases in the Philippines has increased from the original 5 to 9, which shows that the military cooperation between the two countries has continued to deepen. So far, the two sides have not disclosed the specific location of the new military bases, but the outside world generally believes that some of the bases may be built closer to the Taiwan Strait. Another wave in the South China Sea In…

Chinese fans are celebrating the Oscar nomination of Michelle Yeoh for Best Actress, with some calling her “the pride of Chinese people everywhere”. Yeoh was nominated for her starring role in Everything Everywhere All At Once, which also earned her a Golden Globes win earlier this month. News of the Asian superstar’s Oscar nod trended on social media as many Chinese moviegoers rejoiced. She will become the first Asian woman to triumph in her category if she wins. Yeoh is the first Malaysian and also the first woman of Chinese descent to gain an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. This year’s Academy…

Three people were killed and nine injured when a bomb blast at a railway station in the Bago region of southern Myanmar on Monday, February 13. The explosion occurred at around 12:20 p.m. local time at Nyaunglebin township in Bago region, according to the Team of Myanmar’s State Administration Council. According to local media, citing residents, one man and one woman died on the spot, while three men and seven women were wounded and sent to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. So far, three people have died from the explosion. Investigation into the incident is underway, according to local…