
CNA938 Rewind - It's in Southeast Asia's best interest for Timor-Leste to be part of ASEAN: Analyst
Singapore has launched an enhanced technical assistance programme to support Timor-Leste's integration into ASEAN, reinforcing its commitment to regional cooperation. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced this during an official four-day visit of Timor-Leste's Prime Minister, Xanana Gusmão, to Singapore – it's been over a decade since his first in the role. Lance Alexander and Daniel Martin find out more from Dr Mustafa Izzuddin, Senior International Affairs Analyst, Solaris.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Pick Network adding 150 parcel lockers across Singapore by March 2026
Parcel locker service Pick Network is adding 150 new lockers across Singapore by March 2026 — one year ahead of schedule. 81 have already been installed in Build-to-Order projects and high-demand areas. Pick Network has also partnered with e-commerce giant Taobao to allow the return of its packages at the lockers from September. It is now working with e-commerce platforms to plan for multiple deliveries for lockers throughout the day. Ivy Chok reports.

Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Attacks by Russia kill two in east Ukraine; 33 hurt in Kharkiv
Find out what's new on ST website and app. A man trains a garden hose on the burning wreckage of a car following a Russian bomb attack on an apartment building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on July 24. KHARKIV, Ukraine - Two people were killed in a Russian strike on eastern Ukraine on July 24 and at least 33 were wounded when Russian glide bombs struck a residential neighbourhood in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, regional officials said. The Donetsk regional prosecutor's office in eastern Ukraine said the two deaths were in the city of Kostiantynivka, where 12 people were also wounded. In Kharkiv, regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said a 10-year-old child and a month-old infant were among those hurt when Ukraine's second-largest city was hit by two glide bombs - air-launched munitions fitted with wings and satellite-aided navigation to extend their range and precision. 'These are utterly senseless strikes with no military purpose whatsoever,' President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X. Thick black smoke billowed above the northern district of Kharkiv where a local business and an apartment bloc were damaged. Stunned residents fled, with some clutching children and flames engulfing parked cars. 'I looked around and everything was smashed,' said Mr Yevhen Hanushchak, holding a crate with his cat outside a damaged apartment building. 'Tons of smoke, people running and screaming, grabbing their things.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia 11 Thai civilians killed as Thai and Cambodian militaries clash at disputed border: Reports Asia Deadly Thai-Cambodian dispute puts Asean's relevance on the line Asia Live: People evacuated from border regions amid deadly Thailand-Cambodia clash Singapore Technology can help efforts to shift healthcare delivery towards the community: Ong Ye Kung Singapore Mice industry will need more manpower in sectors like technology, sustainability: Alvin Tan Singapore Khatib Camp to make way for housing, with its functions moving to Amoy Quee Camp Singapore Mindef to set up new volunteer management unit to grow volunteer pool Singapore Primary 1 registration: 29 schools to conduct ballot in Phase 2B Russia, which denies targeting civilians, has stepped up airstrikes on Ukrainian towns and cities since talks aimed at securing a ceasefire in its nearly three and a half year old war in Ukraine stalled this year. Glide bombs have been particularly devastating in areas closer to the battlefield. The regional prosecutors said the July 24 attack was launched nearly 100km away. REUTERS

Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Deadly Thai-Cambodian dispute puts Asean's relevance on the line
Find out what's new on ST website and app. The escalation underscores Asean's limitations in handling intra-regional disputes and raises fresh questions about its relevance in managing crises among its own members. Follow our live coverage here. SINGAPORE – Asean's continuing silence on mounting tensions between Thailand and Cambodia is once again testing its longstanding principle of non-interference. Deadly clashes between its two member states on July 24 left at least 12 dead more than two months after border hostilities reignited. The escalation underscores Asean's limitations in handling intra-regional disputes, experts told The Straits Times, and raises fresh questions about its relevance in managing crises among its own members. 'It is institutional inertia,' said Mr Andrew Mantong, a researcher at Indonesia's Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). 'The region has spent decades building platforms and mechanisms for peace. Yet when war erupts in its backyard, it is diplomacy by absence.' At least 12 Thais, mostly civilians, have been killed in the latest outbreak of a longstanding border dispute. Fighting erupted in a contested area, with Cambodia accused of firing rockets into a Thai village and attacking a hospital, while Thailand launched air strikes on Cambodian military targets. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Asia Live: People evacuated from border regions amid deadly Thailand-Cambodia clash Asia 11 Thai civilians killed as Thai and Cambodian militaries clash at disputed border: Reports Singapore Singapore says prolonged suffering of civilians in Gaza is 'unconscionable' Singapore Khatib Camp to make way for housing, with its functions moving to Amoy Quee Camp Singapore First BTO flats in Greater Southern Waterfront, Mount Pleasant to go on sale in October Singapore Mindef to set up new volunteer management unit to grow volunteer pool Singapore Primary 1 registration: 29 schools to conduct ballot in Phase 2B In response, Thailand has closed its entire border and urged its citizens to leave Cambodia. Phnom Penh has downgraded diplomatic ties, accusing Bangkok of using excessive force. The current flare-up began in May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed during a brief exchange of gunfire. Tensions have steadily escalated since, culminating in the recent air strikes and cross-border shelling. Asean has remained publicly silent throughout, although some individual member states have called for peace. The conflict was also not raised at the recent Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia is the current Asean chair and when asked about the issue during a press conference on July 11, Malaysia's Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan called it a bilateral issue and reaffirmed the group's traditional stance of non-interference. While Asean has long prided itself on consensus-building and neutrality, Mr Andrew of CSIS said its silence in the face of open conflict is unwise and risks diminishing its standing on the world stage. That credibility has taken a further hit as Cambodia seems to have bypassed the grouping by appealing directly to the United Nations. On July 24, the Cambodian media published Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet's letter to the UN Security Council's president, Pakistan's envoy Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, calling for an urgent meeting of the 15-member body. It is the first time in more than a decade that an Asean member has made such a request. Cambodia also made the previous request in 2011, when artillery exchanges with Thailand near the Preah Vihear temple prompted Phnom Penh to seek international intervention. The UN Security Council is expected to convene in the coming days, but observers say any outcome will likely mirror that of 2011, which had included calls for maximum restraint and for Asean to play a more active role in dispute resolution. Still, the referral itself is telling. If countries in the region feel compelled to turn to New York to manage tensions with their neighbours, it reflects a worrying lack of trust in Asean, or in any regional third party, to help defuse a conflict in its own backyard. 'The gap between Asean's aspirational vision and its operational readiness has rarely been this exposed; and I am worried that the current geopolitical contour will make it more frequently exposed,' said Mr Andrew. On July 24, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that he had sent messages to the prime ministers of Cambodia and Thailand, hoping to speak with them personally. Calling the situation worrying, he said that both countries are key members of Asean and close neighbours to Malaysia, adding that he hoped they would de-escalate tensions and return to the negotiating table. Trust a key issue? Some analysts say a key factor holding Asean back is the lack of trust between the parties involved. Asean Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn is Cambodian, and some observers argue that Thailand may not view him as a neutral mediator. A similar impasse occurred in 2008, when Cambodia rejected mediation by then Asean secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan, a veteran Thai diplomat, during border clashes near the Preah Vihear temple. After mediation failed, the conflict simmered without formal resolution, until 2011, when Cambodia turned to the UN following renewed violence at the same border area. However, others say the problem is structural, not personal. Ms Joanne Lin, a senior fellow at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, said the issue lies with Asean's institutional design, not the nationality of its representatives. 'The Secretariat does not have the mandate to lead politically, and decisions must come from member states,' she said, noting how back in 2011, Cambodia had similarly turned to the UN. Eventually, the case went to the International Court of Justice, which ruled in 2013 that Cambodia had sovereignty over the temple and ordered Thai troops to withdraw. That verdict helped ease tensions, but more than a decade on, diplomatic relations between the two neighbours are at their lowest in years. Bilateral channels, said Ms Lin, may no longer be viable. Still, she believes Asean has a narrow window to act. Neutral members like Indonesia or Singapore could potentially step in to broker talks or quietly facilitate de-escalation. In the last bout of fighting between the two countries in 2011 – when Indonesia was the Asean chair – then Indonesian foreign minister Marty Natalegawa undertook shuttle diplomacy to defuse tensions. He held talks with both sides in their respective capitals, and also subsequently met with the UN Security Council alongside the two nations' foreign ministers. With the current ignition of tensions, Ms Lin said, 'if Asean doesn't step up, it risks being sidelined in its own region. China, which has close ties with both countries, has already shown interest in stepping in'. China on July 24 expressed deep concern over the border clashes and offered to play a constructive role in promoting peace, urging both sides to resolve the dispute through dialogue and pledging to remain fair, impartial and supportive of regional stability. Asean would prefer that the two countries resolve the conflict bilaterally, as both are members of the regional organisation. But if that is not possible, they should resolve it peacefully through third-party mediation, said Dr Mustafa Izzuddin, a senior international affairs analyst at business consultancy Solaris Strategies Singapore. However, the non-response from Asean – as of July 24 – signifies 'collective fatigue' on the part of the group in dealing with conflict in the region, he added. The group has faced criticism for its failure to implement the five-point peace plan with Myanmar's military regime, as well as its inability to conclude negotiations on a code of conduct for the South China Sea, aimed at managing tensions amid overlapping maritime claims. 'Asean is acting strategically so that it does not need to bite off more than it can chew as a multilateral organisation with a multitude of interests that are focused on regional integration,' said Dr Mustafa.