Southeast Asian nations need to intensify their fight against religious militancy taking root in the region, including Myanmar’s Rakhine State, said Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on December 5.
Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian
Balakrishnan (Source: VNA)
He
made the statement at the 15th ASEAN lecture on "ASEAN: Next 50” at the ISEAS
Yusof Ishak Institute.
Balakrishnan stated that the weakening of the Islamic State (IS) in the Middle
East and the recent occupation of the Philippine town of Marawi by
IS-supporting gunmen have renewed concern that the region can become a magnet
for militants.
According to him, several fighters returned to Marawi and several other areas
in the region can become potential hotbeds for terrorists.
Singapore even has an anxiety that Rakhine state may become another sanctuary,
another hotbed for extremism, he added.
Over the past year, the Philippines faced the region’s most serious militant
violence, which began when hundreds of gunmen, including some from elsewhere in
the region, occupied Marawi.
Indonesia and Malaysia say thousands of their citizens sympathise with IS and
hundreds are believed to have travelled to Syria to join the group.
Indonesian authorities last year disrupted a plot by militants to launch an
attack in Singapore.
Singapore will be chair of the 10-member ASEAN in 2018.
Source: VNA
The world economy has overcome a challenging year, but has proven more resilient than expected. The Financial Times (UK) commented that 2023 was a positive year for the world economy as the economic surprise index collated by Citigroup shew that actual data have underwhelmed economists’ predictions for much of the past months. These economic trends are the basis for optimism about the world economy in 2024.
Laos has announced the theme and logo for its the Chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2024.
Vietnam was elected a Vice President of the 42nd session of the UNESCO’s General Conference, representing the Asia-Pacific, on November 8.
Since the "blockbuster" ChatGPT was launched a year ago, the prospects for the development of artificial intelligence (AI), as well as concerns about the risks from this technology, have become hot topics in the technology world.
(HBO) - From September 12 - 23, in Seoul, South Korea, the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) organized a training program under the project "Supporting the Academy of Journalism and Communication to improve the the capacity of implementing the Govermmment’s policy” in phase 2 with the coordination and the coordination of Hyundai Research Institute (HRI).
(HBO) – The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) opened a fellowship programme in Seoul on September 13 under Phase 2 of a project that helps Vietnam’s Academy of Journalism and Communication (AJC) enhance its capacity of implementing government policies.