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Headlines in February 2008 edit history watch

Blogger Nay Myo Latt is detained in a crackdown on the Internet by the Burmese junta.
East Timorese President José Ramos-Horta is wounded in an attack that leaves rebel leader Alfredo Reinado dead.
Floods in Jakarta kill three people, displace thousands and cover the roads to Soekarno-Hatta Airport A landslide in Brebes, Central Java, kills seven people.
Eight civilians are killed in a raid by Armed Forces of the Philippines commandos in Sulu who were looking for two hostages seized by the Abu Sayyaf.
Singapore wins the bid to host the 2010 Youth Olympic Games.
The Thai government led by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej is officially endorsed. Close allies of military-ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra hold positions, including Noppadol Pattama as foreign minister, Chalerm Yoobamrung as interior minister and Surapong Suebwonglee as finance minister. Samak also holds the defense minister portfolio.
The Roman Catholic Church in Vietnam ends more than a month of protests in Hanoi after the Vietnamese government agrees to return church land seized 50 years ago.

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February 13, 2008(Wednesday) edit history watch

2008 East Timorese assassination attempts:
- Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao said Wednesday that he would ask parliament to extend the 48-hour state of emergency to 10 days after the assassination attempts. (Xinhua)
- President José Ramos-Horta remained in a serious but stable condition. (Xinhua)
A 14-year-old girl is the 127th human case of avian influenza in Indonesia.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi dissolves parliament on Wednesday to pave the way for the upcoming 12th general election. (BBC) (Reuters) (CNA)
Vietnam discovered 584 cases of corruption in 2007 with involvement of nearly 1,300 people, which caused total losses of over 865 billion Vietnamese dong (US$54.1 million), the local newspaper Pioneer reported Wednesday. (Xinhua)

February 11, 2008(Monday) edit history watch

East Timorese President José Ramos-Horta is shot and seriously wounded in an attack at his home. Rebel leader Alfredo Reinhado, who led the attack, is killed. Gunman also attack a motorcade of Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão, but there are no injuries. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (Bloomberg) (New York Times)
At least 11 people have been killed and hundreds of houses swept away by flash floods in East Java. (Xinhua via Hindustan Times)
Former Garuda Indonesia director Indra Setaiwan is sentenced to 12 months in jail for his party in a conspiracy to murder human rights activist Munir Said Thalib, who died from arsenic poisoning on a flight to Amsterdam in 2004. He was poisoned by pilot Pollycarpus Priyanto, who was earlier sentenced to 20 years in prison. (ABC News)
The Singapore Flyer, the world's largest Observation wheel, made its first spin. (Reuters) (CNA)

February 7, 2008(Thursday) edit history watch

February 6, 2008(Wednesday) edit history watch

At least seven people are killed in a landslide in the village of Brebes, Central Java. (AP via Google News) (AFP via CNA)
The government led by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej is endorsed by King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Close allies of military-ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra hold positions, including Noppadol Pattama as foreign minister, Chalerm Yoobamrung as interior minister and Surapong Suebwonglee as finance minister. Samak also holds the defense minister portfolio. (TNA via MCOT) (The Nation) (Bloomberg) (BBC) (Xinhua)
South Thailand insurgency: A bomb hidden in the front basket of a motorcycle explodes near a Chinese shrine in Sai Buri, Pattani. One soldier is killed and six others are wounded. (AP via Google News)

February 5, 2008(Tuesday) edit history watch

A National League for Democracy spokesman has confirmed that Burmese blogger Nay Myo Latt is being detained by the junta.
The United States Department of Treasury says it is tightening financial sanctions against Tay Za, described as "an arms dealer and financial henchman of Burma's repressive regime". (AP via Google News)
US$2.808 billion was invested in Cambodia in 2007, according to the Cambodian Chamber of Commerce. (Xinhua)
The United Nations has transferred authority to East Timorese police at three posts in Dili. (Bloomberg)
Garuda Indonesia airline Captain Marwoto Komar faces charges including manslaughter in connection with last year's crash of Garuda Indonesia Flight 200, which burst into flames upon landing at Yogyakarta, killing 21 people. (Reuters)
Royal Thai Army chief General Anupong Paochinda begins an official visit to Laos, with a focus on combatting drug trade along the two countries' border areas. (Xinhua)
Sulu governor Abudsakur Tan condemns the killing of eight civilians, including two children and a pregnant woman, by a government commando squad who were looking for two hostages seized by Abu Sayyaf militants.(Inquirer) (Al Jazeera)
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo says incandescent light bulbs will be banned in the Philippines by 2010 in favor of compact fluorescent lamps in order to lower energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. (AP via Google News)

February 4, 2008(Monday) edit history watch

Former Khmer Rouge No. 2 leader Nuon Chea briefly appears before the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, asking for postponement of his appeal because of a dispute regarding his Dutch attorney and the Cambodian Bar Association. (BBC)
Two soldiers are killed and at least three Abu Sayyaf militants are killed in the attempted search for hostages taken by the Muslim insurgents on Jolo. (BBC) (DPA via Hindustan Times)
South Thailand insurgency: One person is killed and nearly 17 are injured in two separate bombings. In Amphoe Mayo, Pattani Province, a remote-control bomb was set off at a ceremony to release fish into a canal to mark the opening of a school. An agriculture ministry official was killed and 11 were injured. In Yala Province, a lunchtime bombing a restaurant injured six people, including three police officers. (Nation)

February 3, 2008(Sunday) edit history watch

Floods in Jakarta have forced thousands to abandon homes or cars and cutting the roads to the Soekarno-Hatta Airport. (Reuters)
The Government of Singapore Investment Corporation has agreed to buy the Westin Tokyo luxury hotel for 77 billion yen (723 million US dollars) from Morgan Stanley, a newspaper said Sunday. (CNA) (Reuters)

February 2, 2008(Saturday) edit history watch

Floods in Jakarta has killed 3 people and forced nearly 1,500 to evacuate their homes, officials said Saturday. (Reuters) (AFP via CNA)
A Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-200 plane flying to Beijing had to return to Singapore Changi Airport some 90 minutes after takeoff due to loss of cabin pressure. (CNA) (Xinhua)
Vietnamese Catholics have ended more than a month of protests in Hanoi aimed at pressing the Government of Vietnam for the return of church land seized 50 years ago. (Reuters)

February 1, 2008(Friday) edit history watch

Dutch lawyer Victor Koppe, attorney for former Khmer Rouge leader Nuon Chea is disallowed from addressing the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia because the Cambodian bar association has refused to swear him in.(AP via IHT)
Avian influenza updates:
- A 32-year-old woman is the 102nd fatal victim of avian influenza in Indonesia, according to local media reports. She died on Thursday at a Jakarta hospital. (Xinhua)
- The H5N1 virus is confirmed in the deaths of around 30 chickens that died Phichit Province a week ago. (Reuters)
Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta Airport is completely closed on Friday morning because of heavy rains that reduce visibility range. (Xinhua)
Inaugural flights by budget carriers, Air Asia, Tiger Airways, Jetstar Asia, take off between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur route. (CNA) (Bernama)
A Cessna light plane, with two pilots onboard, crashed into the sea of Manila Bay of the Philippines on Friday afternoon. No immediate report of casualties. (Xinhua)
United States' military aid to Thailand will be resumed as the result of a democratically elected government headed by Samak Sundaravej taking power. (AP via Google News) (AFP via Google News)

January 31, 2008(Thursday) edit history watch

Blogger Nay Myo Latt has been arrested by the Burmese junta, Reporters Without Borders has reported. (AP via Google News)
FBI director Robert Mueller, in a visit to Phnom Penh to open a new FBI office, praises Cambodia as an ally in the US War on Terror. (AFP via Google News)
A strong 5.9-magnitude aftershock occurs northwest of Saumlaki in Maluku province, one day after a 6.6-magnitude earthquake. (AFP via CNA)
The Ministry of Manpower reports Singapore's unemployment rate fell to 1.6% and created 64,200 new jobs in the fourth quarter of 2007. In total, Singapore's economy created 236,600 new jobs in 2007. (CNA) (Bernama)
Thai politics:
- The Democrat Party says it will form a shadow government to closely monitor the coalition government of Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej. (Xinhua) (Bangkok Post)
- Samak has drawn up his list of Cabinet ministers, which will be submitted for endorsement by King Bhumibol Adulyadej. (TNA via MCOT) (Nation)

January 30, 2008(Wednesday) edit history watch

Detained National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi holds her fifth round of talks with the Burmese junta's official liasion, Aung Kyi. She was also allowed to meet with NLD supporters. A party spokesman said Suu Kyi is frustrated by the lack of talks on political reform, quoting her as saying "Let's hope for the best and prepare for the worst." (Reuters) (CNN)
Nearly 800 children who had served as soldiers were returned to their parents between 2002 and 2007, according to a report by the New Light of Myanmar, citing statements by Major General Thura Myint Aung. On Tuesday, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for sanctions against countries or groups using child soldiers. (BBC)
FBI director Robert Mueller visits Vietnam and Cambodia on a mission to expand legal cooperation. In Phnom Penh, he is to open a new FBI office. (Xinhua) (AFP via Google News)
A 6.6-magnitude earthquake shakes Maluku and triggers a tsunami alert, which is later lifted. The epicenter was on the sea bed about 160 miles northeast of Dili, East Timor. (AFP via CNA) (Xinhua)
H5N1 update:
- A 32-year-old man from Tangerang is the 101st fatal victim of avian influenza in Indonesia, and the third death recorded in as many days. (AFP via CNA)
- Indonesian health officials launch a three-year program to combat bird flu, with a US$20 million grant from the European Union. The plan will focus on preventing new cases, curbing the spread of the virus and more research. (AFP via CNA)
Three people are killed and 27 injured in a bomb explosion at a fish processing plant in General Santos City, South Cotabato. (AP via Google News) (Reuters)
People's Power Party leader Samak Sundaravej is endorsed as prime minister by King Bhumibol Adulyadej. A Cabinet list with posts divided among the six-party coalition government's parties is being readied for endorsement by the monarch.(AP via Taipei Times) (The Nation) (Bangkok Post) (TNA via MCOT)

January 29, 2008(Tuesday) edit history watch

The Burmese junta has charged 10 activists in connection with last year's anti-government protests. They could face up to seven years in prison. Among the detainees charged is activist Min Ko Naing. (Reuters)
A 23-year-old woman from Bekasi is the 100th fatal victim of avian influenza in Indonesia, according to local media reports. Her death from the H5N1 virus at a Jakarta hospital on Sunday follows the deaths of two other bird-flu patients in the past five days. (Xinhua)
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi unveils an 18-year, US$32.4-billion development plan for Sabah on Borneo. (Reuters)
Malaysia and Singapore will invite Thailand to join the "Eyes in the Skies" air surveillance programme to combat piracy in the Strait of Malacca, Malaysian Defence Minister Najib Tun Razak says after a meeting with his Singaporean counterpart Teo Chee Hean. (Star)
At least 13 people are killed when a passenger minibus collides with a truck in Cotabato. (Reuters) (AP via Google News)
Singapore's Ministerial Committee on Ageing reports progress in tackling ageing population issue in 2007. (Xinhua)

January 28, 2008(Monday) edit history watch

A nine-year-old boy from Depok is the 99th fatal victim of avian influenza in Indonesia, the health ministry reports. (AFP via CNA)
Funeral ceremonies for Suharto are held as the former president is buried at the family mausoleum of in Surakarta. (NYT)
People's Power Party leader Samak Sundaravej is elected prime minister of Thailand in a 310-163 vote by the National Assembly. (AFP via Google News) (Nation) (TNA via MCOT) (Reuters) (AP via The Guardian)

January 27, 2008(Sunday) edit history watch

Death of Suharto:
- Former Indonesian president Suharto dies at 1:10 p.m. local time from multiple organ failure at the age of 86, at Pertamina Hospital. (BBC) (Reuters) (AFP via CNA)
- Indonesian Cabinet Secretary Sudi Silalahi announces a seven-day mourning period. (AFP) (Antara)
- Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono expresses deep sympathy over the death of Suharto. (Antara)
- The Indonesian flag at the presidential palace was lowered to half mast. (AFP) (Antara)

January 26, 2008(Saturday) edit history watch

Thai officials say they will not oppose Cambodia's seeking World Heritage Site status for Prasat Preah Vihear, refuting a Thai Defense Ministry spokesman's earlier statements that the listing should not be granted without Thai participation. (Bangkok Post) (Nation)
The World Peace Committee of Indonesia has agreed to present the World Peace Gong to Laos as a country of peace, security and political stability for a long period of time. (Bernama)
Malaysian police detain up to 50 people at an anti-government rally at Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur. Among the detainees is Malaysiakini journalist Syed Jaymal Zahiid. (AFP via CNA)
An Australian-registered Cessna 208 floatplane that caused a shutdown of Singapore's airspace and prompted the scrambling of two Singapore Air Force fighter jets was on a test flight from Ko Samui, officials say. (DPA via Bangkok Post)
Nine bus passengers are killed and 20 are injured after the driver loses control and the bus tumbles down a mountain in Amphoe Sangkhla Buri, Kanchanaburi Province. (AP via Google News) (Bangkok Post)
South Thailand insurgency: Five Muslims are fatally shot in separate attacks in Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani. (AFP via Google News)

January 25, 2008(Friday) edit history watch

Amnesty International says 96 activists were arrested in November in Burma, despite promises by the junta that it had eased its crackdown since last year's anti-government protests. (Reuters) (AP via CNN)
Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi will visit Brunei, Cambodia and Australia on official visits from January 31 to February 5, the Foreign Ministry says. (Xinhua)
Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont says a border agreement in the area of Prasat Preah Vihear must mutually benefit both Thailand and Cambodia. The 11th-century Angkorian temple is the subject of an ongoing border dispute as Cambodia seeks to have it declared a World Heritage Site. (TNA via MCOT)
A rear tire bursts on the landing gear of a Thai Airways International flight from Bangkok as it lands at Phnom Penh International Airport. There are no injuries among the 160 passengers and crew. (AFP via ABC News)
Monsoon storms have caused serious damage to homes and crops across East Timor, relief authorities say. (ABC News)
Suharto health updates:
- Suharto is breathing on his own and is recovering from a blood infection, doctors say. The hospitalized 86-year-old former Indonesian president could be released from intensive care in a few days. (AP via Google News) (AFP via Google News)
- Imam Samudra, serving a death sentence for his role in the 2002 Bali bombings, calls on Suharto to "repent". (AAP via The Age)
Overturning a 2006 decision, the Supreme Court sentences former Garuda Indonesia pilot Pollycarpus Priyanto to 20 years in prison for the poisoning death of activist Munir Said Thalib. Priyanto had been convicted in 2005, but was later acquitted by the high court. (AP via Google News)
Avian influenza updates:
- A second outbreak of avian influenza is reported after the deaths of chickens in Amphoe Sak Lek, Phichit Province. On Thursday, an outbreak was reported in Nakhon Sawan Province. (TNA via MCOT)
- Medical experts meeting for an international avian influenza conference in Bangkok report that studies are under way in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam to see if H5N1 patients need to be given higher dosages of oseltamivir, the drug used to treat the virus. (Reuters)
Norberto Manero, convicted in the killing of an Italian Catholic priest in 1985, is freed from prison. At the time, Manero claimed he'd eaten parts of the victim's brain, but he now denies that story.(Reuters)
A total of 158 Singapore Airlines flights will be retimed in mid-February during the Singapore Airshow 2008 Exhibition. (CNA)
Four museums in California have been raided by United States authorities searching for artifacts from Ban Chiang, who were acting on a tip from an undercover investigation in which a smuggler boasted of a scheme to have antiquities shipped to him from Thailand. (BBC) (Guardian) (AP via Google News)

January 24, 2008(Thursday) edit history watch

Poet Saw Wai has been detained by the Burmese junta after a Rangoon magazine published a hidden message in the Valentine's Day poem, "February Fourteenth", in which the first word in each of the lines could be combined to read: "General Than Shwe is crazy with power." (BBC) (AFP via Google News)
Avian influenza updates:
- A 30-year-old man from suburban Jakarta has died of avian influenza. He is the 98th fatal victim of the H5N1 virus. (Xinhua)
- An outbreak of the H1N1 virus is reported in Nakhon Sawan Province, where more than 4,000 chickens died on January 18 at a farm. (Xinhua)
An Australian couple are being questioned in Singapore after they piloted their Cessna 208 airplane into the city-state's airspace without proper clearance. (AAP via Sydney Morning Herald)
South Thailand insurgency: A Buddhist teacher is fatally shot in an ambush by Muslim gunman in Pattani. (AP via Google News)
One protester is fatally shot and four others are wounded in a clash between opponents and supporters of a planned steel mill in Amphoe Bang Saphan, Prachuap Khiri Khan Province. (DPA via Bangkok Post)
A new US repatriation policy under which illegal Vietnamese immigrants could be deported to Vietnam has caused concern among the Vietnamese-American community. (Los Angeles Times)

January 23, 2008(Wednesday) edit history watch

One person has been killed and five injured after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck Nias, off the west coast of Sumatra. (AP via CNN) (Reuters) (AFP via CNA)
Hospitalized former president Suharto suffers from infections and excess fluid in his lungs, and he cannot eat normally, doctors say. Though he is recovering from multiple organ failure, he remains in critical condition. (AFP via CNA)
In a brief hearing at the Supreme Court, Potjaman Shinawatra pleads not guilty to corruption charges related to a land purchase. She tells the press that her husband, ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, will return to Thailand in May to contest corruption charges. (CNN) (AP via Google News)
H5N1 updates:
- Around 500 experts from more than 40 countries are in Bangkok to attend a conference on avian influenza. (Xinhua)
- A 32-year-old man from Tuyen Quang Province has died after contracting the avian influenza virus. It is the 48th bird-flu death and the first of 2008 in Vietnam. (Canadian Press via Google News)

January 22, 2008(Tuesday) edit history watch

The 4th ASEAN Paragames are under way in Nakhon Ratchasima. Thailand leads the medal count with 49 gold, followed by Vietnam with 13 and Malaysia with 10. (Bangkok Post)
The Chinese foreign ministry rejects US calls for pressure on the Burmese junta. "I don't think sanctions are helpful," a spokesman says. However, another report says China has urged the Burmese junta to set a date for the next visit by United Nations special envoy Ibrahim Gambari. (AP via Google News) (Reuters via Irrawaddy)
The Korea Exchange says it will help run a joint-venture stock exchange in Cambodia, which is expected to start trading in 2009. (Reuters via Economic Times)
Sweden will close its embassy in Laos this year, a decision partly influenced by what a Swedish diplomat says is the slow pace of democratic reforms. (DPA via Bangkok Post)
Politics of Thailand:
- The Council for National Security, the ruling body formed by the Royal Thai Armed Forces after the 2006 coup d'état, officially disbands. "There will be no more coups," says spokesman Sunsern Kaewkumnerd. (Reuters) (WSJ) (AP via NYT)
- Yongyuth Tiyapairat is elected speaker of the lower house of the National Assembly of Thailand. (Nation)
South Thailand insurgency: Gunmen hiding in a mosque in Amphoe Yarang, Pattani Provincem fatally shoot one Royal Thai Army soldier wound two other soldiers. (Nation)

January 21, 2008(Monday) edit history watch

Southeast Asian share prices tumbled on Monday as global share prices continue to fall. (AFP via CNA) (Reuters)
- Jakarta JSX C Index: 2485.879 -125.253
- KL KLSE C Index: 1408.6 -30.89
- Manila PSE Index: 3152.3 -16.0
- Singapore STI: 2917.15 -187.1
- Bangkok SET Index: 766.53 -23.14
A bus plunge near Kyaik Hto, about 65 miles east of Rangoon, killed 27 people and injured 10 people on Sunday, the New Light of Myanmar reports. (AP via Google News)
Hospitalized former president Suharto's digestive system is not functioning properly, and he remains in critical condition, doctors say. (AFP via CNA)
Indonesian airlines have not yet improved their safety record enough for the European Union to lift its ban, the EU's air safety chief says. (Reuters via San Diego Union-Tribune)
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi declares Thaipusam as a public holiday in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya. (AFP via CNA) (Star)
Aramil Sulayman, believed to be a sub-leader of the Abu Sayyaf has been arrested, police say. (Xinhua)
Singapore and Moscow are the final shortlisted cities to host the 2010 Youth Olympic Games. (CNA) (IOC)
A democratically elected National Assembly of Thailand convenes for the first time since the 2006 coup d'état. The majority of seats are held by the People's Power Party, which is allied with ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and has formed a coalition government with five smaller parties. (AFP via CNA) (CNN) (BBC)
South Thailand insurgency: Outgoing Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont tours southern Thailand amidst attacks across Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat provinces that leave six Muslim men dead and eight soldiers injured. (AFP via ABS-CBN) (DPA via Earth Times)
High tides have washed away 18 homes and damaged 17 others along the coast in Binh Thuan Province, southern Vietnam. (AFP via News.com.au)

January 20, 2008(Sunday) edit history watch

Cambodian police block actress Mia Farrow from holding a memorial ceremony for Darfur conflict victims at Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh. Farrow had planned to a light an Olympic-style torch as part of a series of protests against 2008 Summer Olympics host China's links to Sudan. (AP via the Guardian) (DPA via Bangkok Post)
Hospitalized former president Suharto is able to lift his arm, and has tried to speak, doctors say. (Reuters)
The Malaysian government plans to send up to 500,000 foreign workers home by 2009. Malaysia tries to reduce dependence on overseas labour and free up jobs for locals, a local newspaper said on Sunday. (AFP via CNA)(Reuters)

January 19, 2008(Saturday) edit history watch

Cambodian, Laotian and Vietnamese officials have dedicated a mountaintop landmark on the spot where the three countries converge. The location is on the borders of Kon Tum Province of Vietnam, Attapeu Province of Laos and Ratanakiri Province in Cambodia. (VNA)
Suharto updates:
- The hospitalized former president's condition is "very good", doctors say, and he may be taken off a ventilator and allowed to return home. (AFP via CNA)
- Riot police briefly clash with about 100 demonstrators accusing Suharto of corruption and demanding he be brought to trial and treated "as a regular citizen". (Reuters via ABC)
Malaysian television station 8TV has been banned from broadcasting live concerts for three months after it broadcast a show by singer Faizal Tahir, in which Tahir stripped off his shirt to reveal a Superman logo painted on his bare chest. Tahir is also banned from performing for three months. (AFP via Google News) (Bernama) (NST) (Star)
People's Power Party leader Samak Sundaravej announces a six-party coalition government. (AFP via CNA) (Nation)
Thai low-cost airline One-Two-GO is on an aviation authority's watchlist after an incident on December 15 in which a One-Two-GO flight erroneously entered a flight ceiling assigned to a Nok Air jet over Nakhon Sawan, the Bangkok Post reports. (Bangkok Post)

January 18, 2008(Friday) edit history watch

Indonesia H5N1 virus update:
- An eight-year-old Indonesian boy has died of H5N1 virus, the health ministry said Friday, bringing the total death toll to 97. (AFP via CNA)
- Bali will host the Sixth International Bird Flu Summit later this year. (Xinhua)
Two more persons have been reported to be down with Chikungunya fever, bringing the total number of people infected with the virus to 8. (CNA) (Xinhua)
War on Terrorism: Waterboarding took place during the secret Central Intelligence Agency interrogations of suspected al-Qaeda leaders in Thailand in 2002, a US congressional hearing has been told. The sessions were on videotapes that have since been destroyed, the Bangkok Post reports, citing a Washington Post story. (Bangkok Post)
South Thailand insurgency: Al-Qaeda is funding Muslim insurgents in southern Thailand, says Thai government spokesman Chaiya Yimvilai. (AFP via Google News)

January 17, 2008(Thursday) edit history watch

An explosion on a bus in Pyinboneguyi killed the bus driver, a government official says. It is the third bombing in less than a week in Burma, in which two people have been killed and five injured. The bus was travelling from Kyaukkyi, in Kayin State, to Rangoon. The New Light of Myanmar blames the blast on "insurgent destructionists". (AP via Google News) (Reuters)
The weekly English-language Myanmar Times was ordered not to publish this week by the Burmese junta's Press Scrutiny Board after the paper had published an Agence France-Presse story about the increase in license fees for satellite television receivers. (AP via Google News)
The United Nations Security Council releases a statement saying it "regretted the slow rate of progress" of reconciliation between the Burmese junta and democracy activists following the 2007 Burmese anti-government protests. (AP via Google News)
President José Ramos-Horta urges Timorese to forgive and pray for former Indonesian president Suharto, who ordered the invasion of East Timor in 1975. (Reuters)
Doctors say they are unable to take hospitalized former president Suharto off his ventilator and that his condition is not improving. (AFP via Google News) (Bloomberg)
Former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad testifies in a public inquiry denies he manipulated judicial appointments during his term from 1981 to 2003. The hearing is investigating a a secretly recorded video clip of a prominent lawyer, V. K. Lingam, saying he could secure judicial appointments with Mahathir's help. (AP via Google News)
10 crewmen are missing after a Taiwanese-owned cargo ship sinks off the northern Philippines. (AP via Google News)

January 16, 2008(Wednesday) edit history watch

At the first Mekong-Japan foreign ministers meeting in Tokyo, Japan pledges US$20 million in aid for development projects in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. Left out of the aid picture was Burma, a former recipient of Japanese aid, whose foreign minister Nyan Win was present for the meeting. (Nation)
Cambodian Interior Minister Khieu Sopheak says actress Mia Farrow will be barred from holding a protest at Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum against China's involvement in Sudan. (AFP via Google News)
Doctors for hospitalized former Indonesian president Suharto say they may try to take him off the ventilator if he remains in stable condition. (AFP via CNA)
Wirahadi, the escaped prisoner serving a 19-year sentence in connection with the bombing of a McDonald's in South Sulawesi in 2002, is captured by police in Makassar. Another escaped bomber, Yasmin, serving a 20-year term for a 2004 cafe bombing, remains at large.(AFP via CNA)
In the wake of shortages of cooking oil and flour, Malaysian Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Shafie Apdal says he will propose a new rule to prevent Singaporeans and Thais from purchasing subsided foodstuffs in Malaysia. (AFP via CNA)

January 15, 2008(Tuesday) edit history watch

Judges of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia visit the former Khmer Rouge stronghold of Pailin, conducting interviews with around 150 former Khmer Rouge cadres. (DPA via Earth Times)
Hospitalized former Indonesian president Suharto has developed sepsis, and his heart is unstable, doctors say. (AP via Google News) (BBC)
The Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) pumps in US$6.88 billion (S$9.8 billion) into Citigroup. (CNA)
South Thailand insurgency: At least 37 people are injured by the explosion of a bomb hidden in a motorcycle parked at a market in Yala. (TNA via MCOT)
The Cabinet extends the government's official mourning period for Princess Galyani Vadhana from 15 days to 100 days, ending on April 10. (Nation)

January 14, 2008(Monday) edit history watch

Cambodia's first major cement plant, a joint venture by Siam Cement and Khaou Chuly Group, opens in Kampot. Kampot Cement Co. expects to produce 960,000 tons of cement in its first year. (Reuters)
Suharto update:
- The ailing 86-year-old former president's "general condition is improving", says the head of his medical team. (AFP via Google News) (National Post)
- Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad visits. (Reuters)
South Thailand insurgency: Eight soldiers are killed when their vehicle is hit by a roadside bomb in Chanae, Narathiwat. One soldier is beheaded. In Su-ngai Kolok and Pattani, cellular phone towers and phone booths are burned. (TNA via MCOT) (DPA via M&C) (AP via FOXNews)
Television station TITV is shut down and will become a public broadcasting station as part of the Thai Public Broadcasting Service Act. Commercial-free programming on the channel will temporarily be provided by Channel 11, the channel run by the Thai government's Public Relations Department. More than 800 TITV employees are uncertain about their jobs. (Nation) (Bangkok Post)

January 13, 2008(Sunday) edit history watch

An explosion at a railway station in Rangoon injures one woman, a government official says. (AP via Jerusalem Post)
Suharto updates:
- The former Indonesian president, 86, is in a "very critical condition" after almost all his organ functions failed. (Reuters) (AFP via CNA)
- Singapore's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew flew to Indonesia to visit Suharto. (Reuters) (ANTARA)
- A visit to Indonesia by Burmese Prime Minister Thein Sein is postponed because of Suharto's illness. (AFP via Google)

January 12, 2008(Saturday) edit history watch

Suharto updates:
- The former Indonesian president, 86, improves slightly but remains in critical condition after suffering multiple organ failure. (AFP via CNA)
- Preparations are made at the Suharto family mausoleum in Surakarta. (Reuters} (AFP via CNA)
- The Suharto family agrees to an out-of-court settlement of a civil corruption lawsuit related to the Supersemar foundation. (AFP via CNA)
At least 28 children are injured on Thailand's observance of Children's Day when an elevated water slide collapses at Siam Park in Bangkok. (TNA via MCOT)

January 11, 2008(Friday) edit history watch

An explosion in Naypyidaw kills one woman, a government official says. The blast was in a bathroom at a railway station in the Burmese junta's administrative capital. (AP via Google News)
National League for Democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi meets with labor minister Aung Kyi, the Burmese junta's official liason. It is their fourth meeting and the first in more than two months.(AP via Google News)
Former president Suharto, 86, is being treated for a lung infection, and he is weak but conscious, his doctors say. (Reuters)
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono vow to end ongoing disputes about cultural theft and treatment of migrant workers. A special panel to tackle thorny bi-lateral issues is set up. (Reuters) (Star)
Laos and Vietnam have signed an agreement for cooperation on economic, cultural and scientific cooperation. (Vietnam Net) (Xinhua)
Assemblyman S. Krishnasamy of Tenggaroh is fatally shot inside a lift in his party's offices in Johor. He was a deputy state leader for the Malaysian Indian Congress. (Bernama) (AFP via CNA)
Fifteen people are to be charged in the explosion at Glorietta Mall in October. Investigators say negligence and fire-code violations led to a buildup of methane and diesel fumes that triggered the blast. (AP via Google News)
Singapore Airlines:
- SIA's Airbus A380 is lifted back onto the tarmac at Changi Airport after it became disconnected from a tow truck due to hydraulic failure and rolled off the taxiway onto a grass verge. No injuries to the 446 passengers or damage to the aircraft is reported. (CNA)
- Singapore Airlines takes delivery of a second A380 from Airbus. SIA is the first airline to put the superjumbo jetliner into operation. (Reuters)
Smoking will be banned in nightclubs in Thailand from February 17, the Public Health Ministry says. (AP via Google News)
Christopher Paul Neil, who was the subject of a global hunt by international law enforcement agencies, pleads not guilty to molesting underage boys in Bangkok Criminal Court. (Canadian Press via Google News) (Reuters)

January 10, 2008(Thursday) edit history watch

The World Food Program says tight controls by the Burmese junta hamper the WFP's ability to deliver food where it is need.(AP via Google News)
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono arrives in Kuala Lumpur for an official visit to shore up relations with Malaysia. (AFP via CNA)
Officials at the Hanoi Zoo admit they auctioned off dead tigers to animal traffickers. The sale netted 125 million dong (US$7,800). (BBC)

January 9, 2008(Wednesday) edit history watch

Former president Suharto's health has improved slightly, but he remains in critical condition and is dependent on machines, doctors say.(AFP via CNA)
A shortage of flour will be averted by a government agreement with millers to raise output from 9,400 tons to 11,000 tons per month, the New Straits Times reports. Cooking oil has also been in short supply, and the government has called for an increase in production. Flour and cooking oil are vital ingredients of roti, the staple flatbread of Malaysian cuisine. (AFX via Forbes) (Star)
Two people died and several others injured as over 2 million Filipinos celebrate the feast of the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila. (Inquirer.net)
Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3 opens for operations. The new terminal is the largest and most expensive in Changi Airport. (CNA) (Reuters) (AP via ABC)
South Thailand insurgency: Three people are killed in shootings across Yala. (AFP via ABC)
A Qantas Boeing 747 returns to Sydney a day after the plane lost power and landed on battery back-up at Suvarnabhumi Airport. (Australian) (AFP via CNA) (Bangkok Post)

January 8, 2008(Tuesday) edit history watch

Works Minister S. Samy Villau denies that a ban has been issued on granting visas to Indian workers. Other published reports say foreign workers have been banned from working at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. (AP via Business Week) (NST) (BBC)
Shareholders for China Eastern Airlines reject a bid by Singapore Airlines and Temasek Holdings after a rival bid for the Shanghai-based carrier was made by Air China. (AP via Forbes)
Potjaman Shinawatra, wife of ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, is freed on bail after she returns to Thailand to surrender on corruption charges. (Nation) (Nation) (AFP via Google News)
South Thailand insurgency:
- Seven members of the Royal Thai Police and three Royal Thai Army soldiers have been arrested over intelligence leaks. (Bangkok Post) (DPA via Bangkok Post)
- Two marines are injured by an explosion in Sai Buri, Pattani. (Nation)

January 7, 2008(Monday) edit history watch

ASEAN rotation:
- Former Thai foreign minister Surin Pitsuwan officially assumes his post as secretary general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The first Thai to serve as ASEAN secretary general, Surin's term of office is five years. He will be based at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. (AFP via CNA) (TNA via MCOT)
- Singapore becomes the first ASEAN member to ratify the ASEAN Charter. Chairmanship of ASEAN is passed to Indonesia. (Nation) (AFP via CNA)
A 5.8-magnitude earthquake near Manokwari, Papua, causes electrical short circuits which spark fires in more than 20 homes. (AP via IHT)
The health of former president Suharto is said to be improving after fluids were drained from his heart and lungs. He was visited over the weekend by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono as well as former president Abdurrahman Wahid. Suharto, 86, has been treated since Friday at Pertamina Hospital, where he was admitted in critical condition. (AP via Google News) (NYT)
Security forces launch a nationwide search for Wirahadi, an escaped prisoner who was serving a 19-year sentence in connection with the bombing of a South Sulawesi McDonald's in 2002. (AP via CNN)
The World Health Organization reports a cholera outbreak in Xekong Province, where two people have died and nearly 200 are ill. (AP via Star)
Singapore Airlines and Temasek Holdings are facing opposition in their bid for China Eastern Airlines from Air China, which may be joined its bid by Cathay Pacific. via CNA) (Reuters)
South Thailand insurgency: Prince of Songkhla University's Deep South Watch issues a report, saying 792 people were killed in 2007, bringing the total death toll from insurgency-related violence to 2,776.

January 6, 2008(Sunday) edit history watch

One person is drowned, another missing and 40 are injured after a ceremonial boat strikes an overhead electrical wire during a festival in Pampanga. (Reuters)
A Canadian tourist is fatally shot and his wife is wounded in a scuffle with a police officer outside a pub in Mae Hong Son Province. (Nation) (AP via CNN)

January 4, 2008(Friday) edit history watch

The Burmese junta marks the country's 60th anniversary of independence from the United Kingdom. Senior General Than Shwe issues a statement that the government will move ahead with its "road map to democracy" plan, which calls for a military-controlled democracy. (APF via CNA) (BBC)
Dengue fever killed 407 people in Cambodia in 2007, the highest number of deaths from dengue fever since 1998. In 2006, 158 people died of dengue, the National Anti-Dengue Fever Program reports. (AP via IHT)
Seven houses are burned in Suai town. (AFP via Google News)
Ong Ka Ting is appointed minister of health to replace Chua Soi Lek, who resigned amidst a scandal involving a sex DVD. (Xinhua)
Singapore Airlines will be the first airline to operate from the new Changi Airport Terminal 3 when it opens for operations on January 9. (CNA)
Tata Motors confirms it is planning on building an assembly plant for small cars in Thailand. The company already has a joint venture with Thonburi Assembly to build pickup trucks. (Forbes)
Thai general election: The Supreme Court of Thailand agrees to consider an election fraud charges against the People's Power Party, cases that tie the PPP to the banned Thai Rak Thai party of ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. (AFP via CNA)

January 3, 2008(Thursday) edit history watch

Warning shots are fired by United Nations and East Timorese police to disperse brawling gangs. (News.com.au)
Two people accussed of distributing the sex DVD involving former Health Minister Chua Soi Lek are arrested in Johor. (Star)
Thai general election:
- The Election Commission says it is investigating 83 winners, 65 among them members of the People's Power Party. (AP via IHT)
- People's Power Party leader Samak Sundaravej says an "invisible dirty hand" is working to prevent his party from taking power. (BBC)

January 2, 2008(Wednesday) edit history watch

Satellite television license fees have been increased 16,600% from 6,000 kyat to 1 million kyat by the Burmese junta, a move that critics say limits access to foreign media for most Burmese television viewers. (Reuters) (BBC)
The death toll from flooding in Central Java is placed at 112 people. (Reuters)
The School of the Arts opens for classes with a pioneer batch of 239 students, and receives a fresh S$12 million donation from the Ngee Ann Kongsi. (CNA)
Health minister Chua Soi Lek resigns his post, a day after admitting he is the man in a widely circulated sex DVD, which was made with a woman he described as a "personal friend". (AP via The Guardian) (AFP via Google News) (BBC)
Princess Galyani Vadhana dies at age 84. Since June 15, she had been at Siriraj Hospital, where she was being treated for cancer. She was the sister of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The Royal Household Bureau calls for a 100-day mourning period. The government orders a 15-day mourning period for state officials and workers to wear black clothing, and flags flown at half mast. (TNA via MCOT) (Nation)

January 1, 2008(Tuesday) edit history watch

Malaysian Minister of Health Chua Soi Lek admits he is the man in a sex DVD that has been circulating in Johor and is the subject of media speculation. The young woman in the video was allegedly his personal friend. However, he refused to resign over the sex DVD. He says he has met with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to apologize. (AFP via CNA) (Star) (Bernama) (Bernama)
A campaign against firecrackers and celebratory gunfire during the New Year's Eve celebrations results in a drop in injuries by nearly half to 446. Another report said 220 were injured, compared to 518 in 2006 and 1,200 in 2005.(AP via IHT) (AFP via CNA)
Thai officials say the number of fatal traffic incidents was down slightly this Christmas and New Year's holiday period. The seven-day period saw 262 deaths and 3,081 injuries from 2,823 traffic wrecks. (Nation)

More events...edit

Time: 15:28 UTC| Date: June 14

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