Politics

Oil tanks at a petroleum depot in the port of Vladivostok, Russia. Myanmar starts importing Russian fuel oil as early as September.
Ukraine war

Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar deepen Russia ties to blunt economic woes

Southeast Asia nations seen giving Moscow breathing room on sanctions

6 September 2022
The ASEAN Center for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases (ACPHEED) will open in November to improve preparedness for public health emergencies. 
Politics

ASEAN opens secretariat for medical emergencies in Thailand

Ten Southeast Asian nations establish hub for better public health readiness

26 August 2022
Protesters gathered at Thailand's government house on Aug. 24, waving posters such as this one showing they want Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha to resign.
Turbulent Thailand

Thai court orders PM Prayuth's suspension: 5 things to know

Premier's absence unlikely to have adverse impact on economy, APEC meeting

25 August 2022
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha: A surprising Constitutional Court ruling on Aug. 24 temporarily removes Prayuth from office.
Turbulent Thailand

Thai court suspends PM Prayuth; Prawit made acting PM

5-4 decision gives judges time to consider opposition's term limit petition

24 August 2022
Group of Seven countries and democratic allies like Australia are dangling infrastructure support in Southeast Asia as an alternative to China's Belt and Road.
Asia Insight

China's ASEAN Silk Road gets slippery as other powers move in

U.S., Europe, India join battle to build regional supply chains from Thailand to Vietnam

23 August 2022
LGBT+ supporters calling for the repeal of Section 377A of Singapore's penal code, which criminalizes gay sex, are about to get their wish. But the city-state also plans to enshrine male-female marriage in its constitution.
Politics

Singapore declines to follow Taiwan, Thailand on LGBT+ rights

Move to lift ban on gay sex comes with vow to enshrine male-female marriage

22 August 2022
General Apirat Kongsompong, Thailand's outgoing army chief, and his successor, General Narongpan Jitkaewthae, at the handover ceremony in 2020.
Turbulent Thailand

Thailand king's elite 'Red Rim' officers enter the spotlight

Flag officers expected to move into key positions in September promotions

20 August 2022
Prayuth Chan-ocha reacts after a no-confidence vote against him was defeated on July 23: He has survived political crises time and again.
Opinion

Term limits unlikely to end Prayuth's time as Thai prime minister

Former general has been in office for 8 years but shows little sign of leaving

19 August 2022
Myanmar's military chief, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, presides over an army parade in Naypyitaw in March 2021.
Myanmar Crisis

Myanmar military drives itself into corner on violent crackdowns

Regime learns election gimmicks from Thailand but not how to avoid a bloodbath

18 August 2022
China's missile drills have forced Singapore Airlines and its budget carrier Scoot to cancel flights to and from Taiwan scheduled for Friday. (Source photos by Eastern Theatre Command/Reuters and Reuters)
Transportation

Asian carriers halt, reroute flights over Chinese drills near Taiwan

Beijing's military exercise could disrupt regional supply chains

5 August 2022
The price of Asia's main food has not been anything like the wild ride of other staples. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Market Spotlight

Thailand export earnings threatened by rice glut

Opinions diverge over outlook as fertilizer shortages loom

25 July 2022
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha answers questions during a no-confidence debate in Bangkok on July 19.
Turbulent Thailand

Thailand's Prayuth Chan-ocha survives 4th no-confidence vote

Prime minister likely to serve through end of his term in March 2023

23 July 2022
Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha walks past an honour guard in Bangkok in May.
Turbulent Thailand

Thailand's Prayuth Chan-ocha fights economy, Thaksin's popularity

Ruling coalition frays ahead of no-confidence motion and eventual elections

18 July 2022
A breast cancer patient smokes a joint in Bangkok after marijuana was decriminalized last month. Across Asia, cannabis policies remain broadly restrictive, with some inconsistencies and loopholes.
Asia Insight

Smoke signals: Thailand blazes trail for cannabis in wary Asia

Recreational use still far-off prospect as taboos persist from ASEAN to Japan

5 July 2022
Chadchart Sittipunt speaks during his campaign rally at Lumpini Park in Bangkok on May 9: If he can get Bangkok moving forward again, so can Thailand.
Opinion

Bangkok governor's election win restores hope for also-ran Thailand

Chadchart Sittipunt faces daunting and dark challenges

21 June 2022
Marchers walk past a picture of King Maha Vajiralongkorn during a 2020 pro-democracy rally in Bangkok.
Society

Thailand arrests web influencers accused of insulting royal family

Trio face up to 15 years in prison after appearing in videos that enraged royalists

17 June 2022
Tourists and locals in Bangkok celebrate Songkran by spraying each other with water guns and partying on Khaosan Road on April 13. Much of Southeast Asia is disconnected from the far-off war in Ukraine. (Getty Images)
Tea Leaves

Not everyone sees Ukraine as the main issue

Emerging countries accuse the West of hypocrisy

15 June 2022
Thailand decriminalized medical marijuana cultivation and possession on June 9, a step toward possible full legalization of the psychotropic. (Source photo by Reuters)
Politics

Thailand's 'marijuana wonderland': 5 things to know

Cannabis can only be grown and consumed for medical purposes or health promotion

14 June 2022
Royal guards shade Queen Elizabeth II, left, and late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej from the sun with traditional Thai parasols during a welcoming ceremony at Bangkok military airport on October 28, 1996.
Comment

Epic Thai and U.K. royal reigns lay bare struggles in digital age

Queen Elizabeth II matches late Thai King Bhumibol's 70-year, 126-day reign

12 June 2022
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha may soon face another vote of no confidence.
Turbulent Thailand

Three years on, walls start closing in on Thai leader Prayuth

Cracks form within ruling coalition as countdown to next election begins

11 June 2022
A Thai smokes a joint in Bangkok on April 20 during a demonstration promoting the recreational use of marijuana.
Politics

Thailand delists marijuana as narcotic, releases 3,071 inmates

De facto cannabis decriminalization ahead of new law stirs concerns over misuse

9 June 2022
People dine outdoors at a restaurant during the Dragon Boat Festival, the first public holiday in the city since the lifting of the lockdown for the COVID-19 outbreak, in Shanghai on June 3.
Your Week in Asia

More reopening in Shanghai, Japan opens to tourists, Singapore security summit

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

5 June 2022
From left, Prawit Wongsuwan, Prayuth Chan-ocha and Anupong Paochinda: The men known as the "three Ps" have ruled Thailand since the 2014 coup.
Politics

Is Thailand's top trio of ex-army chiefs marching into the sunset?

Military camp's loss in Bangkok polls ups pressure on Prayuth-led 'three Ps'

2 June 2022
A woman pushes a bicycle through a checkpoint manned by Thai security forces in the troubled southern province of Yala in 2013.
Politics

Thailand and militants in south poised to advance peace talks

Relative quiet during Ramadan creates atmosphere to move process forward

30 May 2022
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha says the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework initiative is "solid proof of how important and relevant Asia is today." (Photo by Tomoki Mera) 
The Future of Asia 2022

Thailand's Prayuth: Open, rules-based Asia key to post-COVID growth

Singapore's Lee warns of arms race, Malaysia PM highlights supply risks at Nikkei forum

26 May 2022