South East Asia

The nun was awarded the 2024 edition of the Philippine prize that honours the memory of the foundress of the Missionaries of Charity. Awarded for her 30 years of work among the indigenous populations in the north of the archipelago in nature protection, health care and feeding programmes. For the nun, the ‘strength and resilience’ of the Agta are ‘a constant source of inspiration’.

Among the 21 new cardinals announced by Pope Francis is Bogor Bishop Paskalis Bruno Syukur. The three predecessors were all linked in various ways to the archdiocese of Semarang. A Franciscan friar, an authoritative personality with a low profile and a smiling face.

At the summit underway in the Laotian capital, Thai Prime Minister Shinawatra proposes an "informal consultation" to find a way out of the conflict. But positions remain distant. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who will take over the rotating presidency in 2025, calls for political cohesion to give “a clear message to the world” overwhelmed by wars and become the world’s “fourth-largest economy by 2030”.

The family of the 32-year-old migrant worker held a vigil in a church in Udon Thani province, demanding his release. Together with five of his compatriots and at least one Nepali, he is the forgotten face of this tragedy. His tearful mother Wiwwaro calls for an end to this "brutal war" in which "Everyone has suffered enough". Last week, Thai Prime Minister Shinawatra met with the Iranian president asking him to mediate his release.

After TikTok Shop, Jakarta banned the Chinese giant that arrived in Southeast Asia in 2023. Its business model violates Indonesian regulations, due to the absence of intermediaries and distributors. Small and medium-sized enterprises are at risk. For Minister Budi Arie Setiadi, digital space should make “society more productive and profitable.”

The president of the Bishops' Conference, whom Pope Francis announced among the new cardinals, has been bishop of Kalookan since 2015, one of the hardest hit by Duterte's extrajudicial killings in the fight against drugs. A courageous voice in defence of the weak, he has created 20 missionary stations for a Church closer to the poor. The tenth cardinal in the history of the Philippine Church, he joins Tagle and Advincula in the electoral group.

Baseless rumours are fuelling the ethnic conflict that broke out a year and a half ago in the north-eastern Indian state. The latest fake news refers to “900 militants” who allegedly came from neighbouring Myanmar to fight the Meitei. Chief of Army Staff has denied the claim, saying that people entering from Myanmar “are coming unarmed” to escape the war in that country.

Despite being granted refugee status by UNHCR, the court granted Y Quynh Bdap's extradition request from Hanoi. The activist has filed an appeal and a new asylum request with the Canadian embassy. The ambiguous attitude of Thailand, which opens its doors to temporary reception but is not a signatory to the UN Convention, offers no real guarantees.

In a letter, Beijing called upon Kuala Lumpur to stop oil and gas activities in Malaysia’s exclusive economic zone, which China challenges. In addition to the Philippines and Vietnam, tensions are bound to rise with Malaysia as well, with Chinese coast guard vessels permanently patrolling the Luconia Shoals.

The Commission on Elections will accept nominations or certificates of candidacy between 1 and 8 October for the May 2025 midterm elections; 12 senate seats are among the most coveted positions. Bishop Ruperto Cruz Santos calls for Church and government to work together. He appeals to politicians to think about the “welfare of the community”.

Cambodia’s best-known independent journalist still active despite ongoing repression has been arrested. His posts on social media on environmental damage caused by stone quarries were probably the pretext used by the authorities to detain him on charges of causing “social disorder". Dara was also actively reporting on online scams by transnational crime syndicates employing people in slave-like conditions. He joins about a hundred political prisoners already in detention in Cambodia.

After the announcement, Myanmar’s Chinese-made jets bombed Lashio, a city controlled by ethnic militias. The government-in-exile and various armed groups fighting the junta for the past three years dismissed the proposal as a “political manoeuvre” due to the difficulties on the ground.