March 8, 2024 | NEWS DIGEST By API Desk | Date 03-08-2024 Philippines, US hold largest Balikatan drills in Palawan, Batanes The Philippines and the United States are planning to hold military exercises next month in areas close to the regions’ flashpoints, a move that could further irritate China. Balikatan exercises spokesperson Colonel… Continue reading NEWS DIGEST | March 8, 2024
Category: News
SOUTHEAST ASIA ROUNDUP | March 8, 2024
All you need to know about the latest updates in diplomacy, security and geopolitics in the Philippines and the Asia-Pacific.
China damages two Philippine vessels in latest harassment in Ayungin; injures four crew
Four crew members were slightly injured, and two vessels sustained minor damages after Chinese Coast Guard ships blocked, rammed, and water cannoned Philippine vessels bringing supplies to a grounded naval transported in disputed waters in the South China Sea.
NEWS DIGEST | February 26, 2024
February 26, 2024 | NEWS DIGEST By API Desk | Date 02-26-2024 Philippines, US hold joint air patrols The Philippines and its close security partner, the United States, held joint air patrols in disputed waters in the West Philippine Sea for the second time, a military spokesman said. Colonel Xerxes Trinidad said this… Continue reading NEWS DIGEST | February 26, 2024
SOUTHEAST ASIA ROUNDUP | February 26, 2024
February 26, 2024 | SOUTHEAST ASIA ROUNDUP By API Desk | Date 02-26-2024 Thailand frees ex-PM Thaksin on parole Thailand’s former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, has been granted bail after spending six months in a police hospital following his return from exile in August 2023. Thailand’s corrections office said the 74-year-old telecom tycoon… Continue reading SOUTHEAST ASIA ROUNDUP | February 26, 2024
Military modernization: a pipe dream
The Philippines’ ambitious plan to play catch up with its Southeast Asian peers in terms of military equipment appears to be a pipe dream.
SOUTHEAST ASIA ROUNDUP | February 19, 2024
February 19, 2024 | SOUTHEAST ASIA ROUNDUP By API Desk | Date 02-17-2024 Indonesian defense minister set to win presidential elections Indonesia’s defense minister is on track to win more than 50 percent of the votes in the Indonesian elections, succeeding the popular two-term president Joko Widodo. Academics, journalists, and civil… Continue reading SOUTHEAST ASIA ROUNDUP | February 19, 2024
NEWS DIGEST | February 19, 2024
February 19, 2024 | NEWS DIGEST By API Desk | Date 02-17-2024 Philippines, Vietnam set up hotline to discuss maritime issues A hotline will be set up between Philippine and Vietnamese Coast Guards to resolve potential disputes in the contested waters in the South China Sea, as part of an agreement signed between… Continue reading NEWS DIGEST | February 19, 2024
P1.9 Trillion Military modernization focuses on area denial and maritime domain awareness
The Philippines has been playing catch up with major Southeast Asia countries to modernize its military.
SOUTHEAST ASIA ROUNDUP | February 12, 2024
February 12, 2024 | SOUTHEAST ASIA ROUNDUP By API Desk | Date 02-12-2024 Indonesia gears up for general elections Hundreds of thousands of Indonesians gathered in the capital Jakarta to support three presidential candidates on the final day of campaigning ahead of February 14 balloting. About 205 million Indonesians are eligible to vote… Continue reading SOUTHEAST ASIA ROUNDUP | February 12, 2024