India and ASEAN / East Asia

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New Issue cropping up in ASEAN
PAPUA KKB COMMANDER IS BEING CAPTURED BY A SILENT TNI OPERATION IN THE MOUNTAINS

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"Admire India's Success": Thailand's Foreign Minister on India's Economic Prosperity | Palki Sharma
From climate change to defence ties, regional stability and economic cooperation, Firstpost Managing Editor Palki Sharma sits down with Thailand's Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow for an in-depth conversation on the future of India–Thailand relations. The Foreign Minister praises India's economic success and highlights new opportunities in trade, investment, innovation and technology. He also outlines areas where Bangkok and New Delhi can work more closely. The discussion also covers Myanmar’s peace process, maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, cybercrime networks, and the long-delayed India–Thailand–Myanmar highway project, among others. Watch now to know more.


Thailand Seeks Indian Investment: New Push on Defence, Trade & Tourism Ties | WION
Thailand is making a major push to deepen ties with India — from investment and defence cooperation to expanding trade and tourism links. As cyber-scam networks continue to target Indian citizens across Southeast Asia, both sides are also working together to counter cross-border crime and protect victims.

In an exclusive conversation with WION’s Sidhant Sibal, Thailand’s Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow outlines the roadmap for stronger bilateral relations, Thailand’s expectations from India, and how both nations plan to jointly tackle cybercrime networks operating in the region.

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https://x.com/i/status/2012708066232578254
@PhilstarNews
NUCLEAR TRACE DETECTED

The University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute has detected elevated levels of iodine-129 – an isotope commonly used as an indicator of nuclear activity – in seawater samples from the West Philippine Sea.

UP MSI said the concentrations found in the WPS were higher than in any other part of the country, despite the Philippines having no active nuclear power plant or nuclear weapons program.

[A_Gupta]

Islamic extremism raising its head again in the Philippines.

The Manila Times reports:
Lanao del Norte ambush signals return of extremism in Mindanao

https://www.manilatimes.net/2026/01/25/ ... ao/2264704

THE ambush that killed four government soldiers in Lanao del Norte on Friday could signal a resurgence of violent extremism in Mindanao, a non-government group that gathers and analyzes climate and conflict data warned over the weekend.

In a statement issued by the group Climate Conflict Action Asia (CCAA) said the attack, which authorities have linked to Dawlah Islamiyah (DI), pointed to an escalating security threat in and around the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), despite years of counter-terrorism operations and peace-building efforts.

The group said data from its Critical Events Monitoring System showed a sharp increase in violent extremist incidents, rising by 91 percent from 23 cases in 2024 to 44 in 2025.

[A_Gupta]

The Bangkok Post reports:
Nipah screening at airports, travel warning for India

Disease control has been intensified at Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang and Phuket airports, screening travellers from West Bengal in India where there is a confirmed outbreak of potentially lethal Nipah virus disease.

Please credit and share this article with others using this link: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... -for-india.

[A_Gupta]

The South China Morning Post reports:

Indonesia’s US$1.67 billion China-backed dam is in limbo. Why?
Even energy regulators were kept in the dark about the abrupt crackdown that has spooked renewables investors
https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics ... e=homepage

After deadly floods and landslides swept through Sumatra last year, Indonesia’s government has moved to revoke permits blamed for damaging forests – ensnaring a flagship China-backed hydropower project and rattling investor confidence in one of Southeast Asia’s fastest-growing renewable energy markets.

The decision, unveiled last month by President Prabowo Subianto’s administration, has been welcomed by environmental groups as a long-awaited show of teeth. But it has also raised questions about transparency and due process, after officials acknowledged that even senior energy regulators were not fully informed about the move.

North Sumatera Hydro Energy (NSHE), the developer of the US$1.67 billion Batang Toru hydroelectric project, was among 28 companies whose permits were revoked on January 20 over allegations of forest damage. The cancellations followed an expedited audit of companies operating in forest areas across Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra provinces by the Forest Area Regulation Task Force.