ASEAN and the world

On the occasion of his coronation, Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn has granted a royal pardon that declares amnesty or reduces sentence for prisoners, giving them a chance to become good citizens.

Banana is expected to be Laos' top agricultural export in 2019 despite the local government’s ban on the expansion of plantations around the country, according to local daily Vientiane Times.

(CPV) - ADB, the Government of Indonesia, and the Government of Timor-Leste signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on May 4th 2019 to support cross-border trade and cooperation between Timor-Leste and Nusa Tenggara Timur province in Indonesia.

Nearly one million people are being evacuated ahead of the extremely severe Cyclone Fani which is expected to make landfall on Friday afternoon.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is scheduled to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Finland next week to discuss disagreements over the crisis in Venezuela.

China’s Central Bank has announced that it will issue the fifth series of banknotes and coins from August 30th, 2019.

Defence officials from members of the ASEAN Regional Forum, Asia’s largest security grouping led by ASEAN, met in Seoul, the Republic of Korea, on May 2nd to discuss regional security issues.

Asian leaders offered congratulations to Japan's former Crown Prince Naruhito, who formally took his place as Emperor at a solemn ceremony on May 1st, following the abdication of his father Akihito on April 30th, 2019.

Preparations for public participation in the coronation ceremonies of Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn – Rama X, slated for May 4th-6th, have been completed.

A police official said teams from three different police agencies were entering the monument on April 25th to take samples and search for clues as to what caused the fire.

Former Vice President Joe Biden announced on April 25th that he would seek the Democratic nomination for Presidential election in 2020.

Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has appointed former Finance Minister Boubou Cisse, 41, as the new Prime Minister.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)’s leader Kim Jong-un will visit Russia's Far East capital of Vladivostok for his first summit with President Vladimir Putin on April 25th.

Singaporean Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat will become Deputy Prime Minister from May 1st, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) of Singapore announced on April 23rd.

Ukrainian comedian Volodymyr Zelensky has won a landslide victory in the country's presidential election.

The Republic of Korea (RoK) will organize a ceremony this week to mark the 1st anniversary of the summit between President Moon Jae-in and leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) (27/4/2018 - 27/4/2019).

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and his Cambodian counterpart Samdech Techo Hun Sen co-presided over the inauguration of a friendship bridge and the reopening of railway lines connecting Aranyaprathet district in Thailand's eastern Sa Kaeo province and Poipet city in Cambodia's Banteay Meanchey province.

The fund to rebuild Notre Dame Cathedral has already reached nearly a billion Euros.

Thailand and Myanmar have signed a cooperation deal to promote tourism routes connecting ancient cities of the two countries in preparation for a travel boom expected from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The Thai Cabinet has approved a roadmap to tackle plastic waste in the years 2018-2030 to reduce the use of plastic and end the use of certain types of plastic because of its increasing harm to the environment.

Democratic Republic (DR) of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi on April 18th declared a day of commemorating with 114 people still missing days after a boat capsized on Lake Kivu, killing 13.

Mr. Moon Chung-in, Special Adviser for unification, foreign and security affairs to the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s President Moon Jae-in, has remarked that US President Donald Trump’s visits to Japan in May and June may lead to possible talks between the US and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

The relations between India and Malaysia will flourish via regular high-level visits and active engagements in such fields as defence, economic, political, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, said India’s High Commissioner to Malaysia Mridul Kumar.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on April 26th.

The Trade Ministry of the Republic of Korea said on April 17 that the country has agreed with the Philippines to launch negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) as part of efforts to boost economic ties.

The world leaders reacted with shock, horror and prayers to the massive fire on April 15th at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, united in grief and in solidarity with the people of France.

President Donald Trump has signaled he’s open to another summit with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s leader Kim Jong-un in a pair of tweets.

The Republic of Korea (RoK) and Russia organised high-level consultations on regional peace in Moscow on April 15th, according to the Seoul’s Foreign Ministry.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on April 15th organized a series of political events in Pyongyang to mark the 107th anniversary of late Chairman Kim Il-Sung’s birthday.

The Election Commission (EC) of Thailand said that the election re-runs should be organised no later than April 28th, ensuring that they do not clash with the King’s coronation rite from May 4th-6th.