Asean Now: Weekly Wrap Ep 66
In this week’s Asean Now: Weekly Wrap, Malaysian activist and election watchdog Bersih 2.0 Chairman Maria Chin Abdullah was set free on Monday following 10 days in solitary confinement, while the salaries of government employees residing in townships in Myanmar where insurgent activities are rife will double in October, November and December.
In Malaysia, election watchdog Bersih 2.0 Chairman Maria Chin Abdullah was released on Monday after 10 days in solitary confinement.
Meanwhile, an Amnesty International report revealed that Indonesian palm oil plantations on the islands of Kalimantan and Sumatra were guilty of labour abuse.
Over in Singapore, China’s Foreign Ministry had lodged a protest with the island republic on Monday after Singaporean armoured troop carriers were seized in Hong Kong last week.
A five-day siege in the Philippines involving fighters linked to the Islamic State ended on Wednesday after troops retook a building where the militants were holed up.
The Philippine police on Wednesday detained two men for an attempted bombing in Manila, with other alleged plotters still on the run.
In Myanmar, the salaries of government employees living in townships where insurgent activities are active will double in October, November, and December.
Fragments of a Chinese rocket fell in Kachin, Myanmar, shortly after its launch. No damages or casualties were reported.
Meanwhile, Vietnam incinerated over 2.2 tonnes of elephant ivory and over 70 kilograms of rhino horns seized from traffickers amidst concerns over wildlife protection.
Laos aims to restore 70 per cent of its forest cover by 2020, as the country has been facing problems, such as deforestation and forest degradation since the 1940s.
Lastly, security guards in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, helped clean the Tonle Sap River after a video on Facebook revealed individuals sweeping trash into the river after a festival.