In The News

Singapore, Vietnam Team Up on Third-Party Projects

Audrey Tan August 18, 2004
In a synergistic effort to spur economic development, Singapore and Vietnam have made progress on a new initiative to encourage foreign investment in their respective economies. Winning joint contracts from Japanese investors, the two countries hope that by cooperating they can take advantage of Vietnam's strength in manufacturing and Singapore's connectivity to the global economy....

Taiwan's President Rejects China's 'Domestic Flights' Demand

Huang Tai-lin August 18, 2004
China and Taiwan are negotiating the opening of cross-strait air routes, but Taiwanese President Chen Shui-Bian has rejected China's assertion that the flights should be categorized as "domestic." This disagreement represents the last stumbling block in establishing what Taiwan refers to as the "three links" of opening trade, postal, and transport relations with the...

Kuala Lumpur Cracking Down on Illegals – Again

Leslie Lau August 12, 2004
Malaysia, a nation of 24.5 million inhabitants, has over 1.3 million legal foreign workers and another 700,000 who are undocumented. Though these migrants generally have jobs that are low paying and unattractive to native Malaysians, public sentiment has turned against them, says this article in Singapore's Straits Times. Some Malaysian natives have begun to blame the country’s recent...

Japan Elbows its Way into Far East: Not Only for Energy

August 12, 2004
As a country poor in natural resources, Japan has had to look elsewhere for its energy needs. Although most of Japan's oil imports presently come from the Middle East, instability in the region has prompted Japan to look to relatively oil-rich Russia as an alternative source. Through building good relationships with the local government, investing in the area, and fostering a positive...

Afghan Asylum Seekers Sew Up Mouths in Protest in Indonesia

August 10, 2004
Approximately 150 Afghan asylum seekers currently live in Indonesia and are waiting to move to a third country such as the United States, Norway or Australia. Though some have been granted refugee status, forty of these asylum seekers are going on a hunger strike to protest being denied this status by the United Nations. In the past, Afghan immigrants in Indonesia, many of whom have security...

Looking for Common Values, a Community Driven ASEAN

Meidyatama Suryodiningrat August 9, 2004
Although members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have signed multiple official agreements over the past 37 years, Meidyatama Suryodiningrat of The Jakarta Post sympathizes with critics who see the organization as “a hopeless powwow, meandering from one headline meeting to another.” Meidyatama writes that the organization has produced myriad declarations of intent without...

Tourism Make-Over for Pariah State

Marasri Boonroj August 4, 2004
Thai and Burmese travel officials are working together to promote Burma as a travel destination, despite its being considered a pariah state due to Rangoon’s military government and human rights abuses. Before the Burmese tourist industry can thrive, however, tourism experts say the country will have to develop its infrastructure, eliminate its two-tier exchange rate, and develop a two-part...