LANGKAWI, Malaysia (AP) — Southeast Asian foreign ministers gathered ... Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said Myanmar — represented by a low-level Foreign Ministry official after ...

LANGKAWI, Jan 19 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan on Sunday reaffirmed that ASEAN will continue to drive its own path forward amid intensifying superpower competition in the region. With a highly geo-strategic position, cultural versatility, and economic weight, he said Southeast Asia holds massive potential.

The foreign minister highlights the importance of inclusivity and sustainability, hinting at Timor-Leste’s accession to the regional bloc.

At a Malaysia conference, ministers of ASEAN nations pledged to step up the fight against illegal online gambling and cyber-crime.

Southeast Asian foreign ministers gathered Sunday for their first meeting this year under the regional bloc's new chair, Malaysia, seeking a breakthrough over Myanmar’s drawn-out civil war and territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Despite Asean’s call to prioritise peace over a sham election, Myanmar’s military rulers appear bent on clinging to power no matter the cost.

The bloc says that any poll must be “inclusive,” but it has limited power to deter the junta from its election plans.

After three years of failed diplomacy, the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) has upped the ante and warned the military junta in Myanmar to end the civil war and allow the free flow of much-needed humanitarian aid.

Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar—are planning to introduce a unified visa system that will significantly simplify travel for tourists.

Indonesia's Ministry of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) is seeking to strengthen financing for MSMEs in the agriculture and fishery sectors to support food self-sufficiency.

The regional bloc told a junta representative at a meeting that a poll is “not a priority at the moment," Malaysia’s foreign minister said.

Thailand is strengthening security measures for tourists to restore confidence among Chinese visitors, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has pledged after concerns were raised about the safety of travellers following the kidnapping of a Chinese actor.