Asia and the Pacific: Weekly Regional Humanitarian Snapshot (19 – 25 March 2019)
The reported number of people displaced by flash floods and landslides in Sentani District in Papua Province following heavy rains on 16 March has increased to nearly 17,000 people, according to the national disaster management agency (BNPB). Displaced…
ERC assists Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh
DAKKA, 24th March, 2019 (WAM) — Refugee camps in Bangladesh will see several support services underway to help improve Rohingya living conditions. The Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, announced on Sunday that it began relief operations to improve sanitatio…
US Navy, Coast Guard Ships Pass Through Strategic Taiwan Strait
WASHINGTON The United States sent Navy and Coast Guard ships through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, the military said, as the United States increases the frequency of movement through the strategic waterway despite opposition from China.The voyage risk…
Chinese President Visiting Monaco Amid European Tech Worries
MONACO Chinese President Xi Jinping has found one country in Europe that isn’t worried about China’s growing global clout or its ambitions to dominate the future of technology: Monaco.Xi visited the tiny Mediterranean principality Sunday as part of a …
Thais Voting in First Election Since 2014 Coup
Thai voters are going to the polls Sunday for the first time in nearly five years.Thailand’s military junta took power in May 2014, when then-army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha led a coup that toppled the government.Junta leader Prayuth said Sunday morning a…
Democratic Hopes in ASEAN Hinge on Thailand, Analysts Say
BANGKOK Thai voters head to the polls Sunday for the first time in nearly five years, and analysts say the results could have an impact on democracy throughout Southeast Asia.Thailand’s military junta took power in May 2014, when then-army chief Pray…
Bangladesh’s Ruling Party Signs MoU with China’s Communist Party
Representatives of Bangladesh’s Awami League (AL) and the Communist Party of China (CPC) signed the first-ever memorandum of understanding (MoU) between their countries’ ruling parties in an effort to boost cooperation, officials said.Prime Minister Sh…