Singapore’s top diplomat Vivian Balakrishnan has confirmed that a special meeting of Asean foreign ministers and the Myanmar military will be convened on Tuesday to discuss the political crisis in the Southeast Asian nation.While countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations operate on the principles of consensus and non-interference, Balakrishnan on Monday said the 10-member bloc could still play a “constructive role in facilitating, hopefully, a return to normalcy and stability in…

A Myanmar court on Monday filed another charge against ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a lawyer acting for her said, as protesters marched in defiance of a crackdown by security forces that killed at least 18 people the previous day.Lawyer Min Min Soe said Suu Kyi looked healthy as she took part in a court hearing via videoconferencing in the capital, Naypyidaw, though she had perhaps lost some weight. He added that she had asked to see her legal team.The leader of the National League for…

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Monday reiterated his promise to hold elections after the coronavirus pandemic was under control, saying the government’s main focus now was “to steer this country clear of the double whammy of health and economic crises”.The embattled leader, speaking in a televised address to mark his first year in power, focused on summing up the government’s achievements and pointedly avoided reference to the power struggle that had dominated his time in office…

When Singapore began its coronavirus lockdown last April, little did Prashant Somosundram know that it would be 16 weeks before The Projector, the independent cinema he runs, would be allowed to reopen – and even then only at reduced capacity.While most workplaces across the city state were forced to shut for the eight-week “circuit-breaker”, cinemas faced even greater restrictions. The Projector’s relatively small size, meanwhile, meant it seemed less well-placed than its larger competitors to…

Indonesia said on Sunday that it was “deeply concerned” with the growing violence in Myanmar and urged restraint by security forces, after at least 18 people were killed when police cracked down on protesters on Sunday.“Indonesia urges the security forces to refrain from the use of force and exercise utmost restraint to avoid further casualties,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.Police fired on protesters on Sunday in the bloodiest day of weeks of demonstrations against a military coup…