Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comJAKARTA, April 24 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian leaders said they had agreed on a plan with Myanmar's junta chief on Saturday to end the crisis in the violence-hit nation, but he did not explicitly respond to demands to halt the killing of civilian protesters."It's beyond our expectation," Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin told reporters after the leaders' meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that was also attended by Myanmar's Senior General Min Aung Hlaing."We tried not to accuse his side too much because...…Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comJAKARTA, April 24 (Reuters) - Southeast Asian leaders said they had agreed on a plan with Myanmar's junta chief on Saturday to end the crisis in the violence-hit nation, but he did not explicitly respond to demands to halt the killing of civilian protesters."It's beyond our expectation," Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin told reporters after the leaders' meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that was also attended by Myanmar's Senior General Min Aung Hlaing."We tried not to accuse his side too much because...WW…

By , , BANGKOK (Reuters) - A second senior leader of a vast drug syndicate has been arrested, a Thai narcotics official said, as a transnational dragnet tightens on the Sam Gor group, which police say dominates the $70 billion annual Asia-Pacific drug trade.The October arrest of Hong Kong citizen Lee Chung Chak in Bangkok preceded last month’s high-profile arrest in the Netherlands of Tse Chi Lop, a China-born Canadian national who police suspect is the top leader of the syndicate, also called “The Company”.Lee, 65, is a former prison mate of Tse’s suspected of being involved in drug...…By , , BANGKOK (Reuters) - A second senior leader of a vast drug syndicate has been arrested, a Thai narcotics official said, as a transnational dragnet tightens on the Sam Gor group, which police say dominates the $70 billion annual Asia-Pacific drug trade.The October arrest of Hong Kong citizen Lee Chung Chak in Bangkok preceded last month’s high-profile arrest in the Netherlands of Tse Chi Lop, a China-born Canadian national who police suspect is the top leader of the syndicate, also called “The Company”.Lee, 65, is a former prison mate of Tse’s suspected of being involved in drug...WW…

By , , BANGKOK (Reuters) - A second senior leader of a vast drug syndicate has been arrested, a Thai narcotics official said, as a transnational dragnet tightens on the Sam Gor group, which police say dominates the $70 billion annual Asia-Pacific drug trade.The October arrest of Hong Kong citizen Lee Chung Chak in Bangkok preceded last month’s high-profile arrest in the Netherlands of Tse Chi Lop, a China-born Canadian national who police suspect is the top leader of the syndicate, also called “The Company”.Lee, 65, is a former prison mate of Tse’s suspected of being involved in drug...…By , , BANGKOK (Reuters) - A second senior leader of a vast drug syndicate has been arrested, a Thai narcotics official said, as a transnational dragnet tightens on the Sam Gor group, which police say dominates the $70 billion annual Asia-Pacific drug trade.The October arrest of Hong Kong citizen Lee Chung Chak in Bangkok preceded last month’s high-profile arrest in the Netherlands of Tse Chi Lop, a China-born Canadian national who police suspect is the top leader of the syndicate, also called “The Company”.Lee, 65, is a former prison mate of Tse’s suspected of being involved in drug...WW…

By , , BANGKOK (Reuters) - A second senior leader of a vast drug syndicate has been arrested, a Thai narcotics official said, as a transnational dragnet tightens on the Sam Gor group, which police say dominates the $70 billion annual Asia-Pacific drug trade.The October arrest of Hong Kong citizen Lee Chung Chak in Bangkok preceded last month’s high-profile arrest in the Netherlands of Tse Chi Lop, a China-born Canadian national who police suspect is the top leader of the syndicate, also called “The Company”.Lee, 65, is a former prison mate of Tse’s suspected of being involved in drug...…By , , BANGKOK (Reuters) - A second senior leader of a vast drug syndicate has been arrested, a Thai narcotics official said, as a transnational dragnet tightens on the Sam Gor group, which police say dominates the $70 billion annual Asia-Pacific drug trade.The October arrest of Hong Kong citizen Lee Chung Chak in Bangkok preceded last month’s high-profile arrest in the Netherlands of Tse Chi Lop, a China-born Canadian national who police suspect is the top leader of the syndicate, also called “The Company”.Lee, 65, is a former prison mate of Tse’s suspected of being involved in drug...WW…

By JAKARTA (Reuters) - For months, by Zoom calls and then by jet, Indonesian ministers and officials scoured the world for access to a vaccine for the coronavirus that Southeast Asia’s biggest country is struggling to control. This month, their campaign paid off.Three Chinese companies committed 250 million doses of vaccines to the archipelago of 270 million people. A letter of intent was signed with a UK-based company for another 100 million.Absent from these pledges: the United States.Not only was it not promising any vaccine, but months earlier the United States shocked Indonesian...…By JAKARTA (Reuters) - For months, by Zoom calls and then by jet, Indonesian ministers and officials scoured the world for access to a vaccine for the coronavirus that Southeast Asia’s biggest country is struggling to control. This month, their campaign paid off.Three Chinese companies committed 250 million doses of vaccines to the archipelago of 270 million people. A letter of intent was signed with a UK-based company for another 100 million.Absent from these pledges: the United States.Not only was it not promising any vaccine, but months earlier the United States shocked Indonesian...WW…

By , JAKARTA (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit Indonesia next week, his first trip to the country since its leadership rejected a U.S. proposal to host its spy planes.Pompeo will address an Islamic youth group conference on religion and civilisation in Jakarta, Indonesia’s foreign minister Retno Marsudi said on Thursday, without providing further details of his itinerary.Earlier, Pompeo told reporters in Washington that he hoped to meet with Retno and Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo, commonly known as Jokowi, on the trip.The visit comes amid an escalating...…By , JAKARTA (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit Indonesia next week, his first trip to the country since its leadership rejected a U.S. proposal to host its spy planes.Pompeo will address an Islamic youth group conference on religion and civilisation in Jakarta, Indonesia’s foreign minister Retno Marsudi said on Thursday, without providing further details of his itinerary.Earlier, Pompeo told reporters in Washington that he hoped to meet with Retno and Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo, commonly known as Jokowi, on the trip.The visit comes amid an escalating...WW…

By JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia rejected this year a proposal by the United States to allow its P-8 Poseidon maritime surveillance planes to land and refuel there, according to four senior Indonesian officials familiar with the matter.U.S. officials made multiple “high-level” approaches in July and August to Indonesia’s defence and foreign ministers before Indonesia’s president, Joko Widodo, rebuffed the request, the officials said.Representatives for Indonesia’s president and defence minister, the U.S. State Department press office and the U.S. embassy in Jakarta did not respond to...…By JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia rejected this year a proposal by the United States to allow its P-8 Poseidon maritime surveillance planes to land and refuel there, according to four senior Indonesian officials familiar with the matter.U.S. officials made multiple “high-level” approaches in July and August to Indonesia’s defence and foreign ministers before Indonesia’s president, Joko Widodo, rebuffed the request, the officials said.Representatives for Indonesia’s president and defence minister, the U.S. State Department press office and the U.S. embassy in Jakarta did not respond to...WW…

By , (Reuters) - More than 2,200 Indonesians have died with acute symptoms of COVID-19 but were not recorded as victims of the disease, a Reuters review of data from 16 of the country’s 34 provinces showed.Three medical experts said the figures indicated the national death toll was likely to be much higher than the official figure of 765.Indonesia has one of the lowest testing rates in the world and some epidemiologists say that has made it harder to get an accurate picture of the extent of infections in the world’s fourth most populous country.The most current data from the 16 provinces...…By , (Reuters) - More than 2,200 Indonesians have died with acute symptoms of COVID-19 but were not recorded as victims of the disease, a Reuters review of data from 16 of the country’s 34 provinces showed.Three medical experts said the figures indicated the national death toll was likely to be much higher than the official figure of 765.Indonesia has one of the lowest testing rates in the world and some epidemiologists say that has made it harder to get an accurate picture of the extent of infections in the world’s fourth most populous country.The most current data from the 16 provinces...WW…