Obama Aide to Meet Wife of Missing Activist Sombath
VIENTIANE — A top aide of President Barack Obama said Tuesday he will meet with the wife of a missing Laotian activist, whose case has been repeatedly highlighted by human rights groups as an example of authoritarian excesses of Laos' one-party Communist government.
Obama Visit Opens New Era in US-Laos Relations
VIENTIANE — Acknowledging the scars of a secret war, President Barack Obama on Tuesday said the United States has a "moral obligation" to help this isolated Southeast Asian nation heal and vowed to reinvigorate relations with a country with rising strategic importance to the U.S.
Duterte Regrets ‘Son of a Bitch’ Obama Took Comment Personally
VIENTIANE — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte expressed regret Tuesday over his "son of a bitch" remark while referring to President Barack Obama, in a rare display of contrition by a politician whose wide arc of profanities has unabashedly targeted world figures including the pope and the U.N. chief.
1,000 Protest in Myanmar to Greet ‘Meddling’ Annan
SITTWE, Myanmar — More than 1,000 Buddhists in a Myanmar state wracked by religious and ethnic strife protested Tuesday's arrival of former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, saying the Ghanaian is meddling in the country's affairs by leading a government-appointed commission to find solutions to the conflict.
History Made as Obama Lands in Laos for ASEAN Summit
VIENTIANE — President Barack Obama on Monday became the first sitting U.S. president to step foot in the isolated Southeast Asian nation of Laos, opening a three-day visit meant to rebuild trust and close a dark chapter in the shared history between the two countries.
Duterte Warns ‘Son of a Bitch’ Obama Not to Question Killings in Philippines
MANILA — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte warned President Barack Obama on Monday not to question him about extrajudicial killings, or "son of a bitch I will swear at you" when they meet in Laos during a regional summit.
South China Sea: ASEAN Summit Taboo
VIENTIANE — Southeast Asian leaders are likely to avoid any official mention at a summit this week of an arbitration ruling that shot down China's expansive territorial claims in the South China Sea, according to a draft of their final declaration, in a victory for Beijing's diplomatic clout.
Spotlight on Laos Ahead of Key ASEAN Summit
VIENTIANE — The light was fading over Vientiane on a cool December evening when a Jeep was stopped at a traffic light. CCTV video later showed the occupant of the car being pulled out and taken away in a pickup truck, never to be seen again.
Duterte Declares ‘State of Lawlessness’ After Bombing
DAVAO, Philippines — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared a nationwide "state of lawlessness" Saturday after suspected Abu Sayyaf extremists detonated a bomb that killed...
Illegal Logging Ravaging Myanmar Forests
PINLEBU, Myanmar — The hills of northern Myanmar's Sagaing region were so legendarily thick with forests that in the days of kings, condemned criminals were ordered into the woods as a death sentence. Today illegal logging has left vast swaths of bare patches, with only a handful of old-growth stands.
