🎯 The Main Takeaway

ASEAN’s 59th anniversary, or ASEAN Day, under the theme “Navigating Our Future, Together”, put people at the heart of regional cooperation.

Beyond politics, the celebration brought diverse communities together through one universal language: food.

ASEAN’s external partners also joined the festivities, turning the table into a space for friendship and cultural exchange.

📡 Why Its on Our Radar

• 🌐 ASEAN’s wider circle: The table brought together ASEAN Member States and external partners, reflecting the bloc’s broad network of relationships.

• 🍽️ A different kind of diplomacy: The festival shows how food can create connections beyond formal meetings and political dialogue.

• 👥 People at the centre: By making diplomacy accessible through food, the celebration puts people-to-people ties into practice.

🌏 More Than Just a Meal

ASEAN’s food diversity reflects centuries of migration, trade and cultural exchange across Southeast Asia.

• 🧳 Migration: People, recipes and culinary traditions travelled across borders and took root in new communities.

• 🍜 Shared heritage: Foods like laksa, satay, rendang, sticky rice and noodles appear in different forms across the region.

• 🌶️ Local twists: The same dish can taste different depending on local ingredients, traditions and interpretations.

• 🤝 Cross-border connections: Food shows how Southeast Asian cultures have influenced, adapted to and grown alongside one another.

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🍽️ Spotted! Southeast Asia’s Flavours

The Southeast Asian countries’ stalls featured a diverse selection of traditional dishes, snacks and drinks such as:

• 🇧🇳 Brunei: Kuih sapit, a thin and crispy wafer, and kuih bahulu, a small, soft sponge cake, showcased two traditional Bruneian treats.

• 🇱🇦 Laos: River weed (khai pen), made from edible freshwater algae, offered a taste of Laos’ river-based food traditions.

• 🇸🇬 Singapore: Hainanese chicken rice, featuring poached chicken served with fragrant, seasoned rice.

• 🇵🇭 The Philippines: An ube halo-halo brought a refreshing, sweet touch to the spread, featuring the vibrant purple-coloured root crop commonly used in Filipino desserts and drinks.

• 🇹🇱 Timor-Leste: Fehuk da’an, a traditional pumpkin-based dish, was among the foods on display, alongside katupa, rice wrapped in woven palm leaves similar to Indonesian local food.

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🌍 A Taste from ASEAN’s Partners

The food festival also brought flavours from beyond Southeast Asia, with ASEAN’s partners showcasing dishes and treats from their own culinary traditions. Among those on display were:

• 🇨🇳 China: Mooncakes, traditionally enjoyed during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

• 🇮🇳 India: Rose lassi, samosas and chicken tikka, offering a mix of refreshing, savoury and spiced flavours.

• 🇷🇺 Russia: A berry-based drink, adding a fruity and refreshing option to the spread.

• 🇰🇷 Republic of Korea: Tteokbokki, chewy rice cakes served in a characteristically spicy and savoury sauce.

• 🇺🇸 United States: Pistachio brownies and cookies, bringing a sweet twist to the partner showcase.

📸 The Bigger Picture: Different Versions of Familiar Food

Across Southeast Asia, familiar food formats often take on their own local twists, creating dishes that feel both distinctly local and recognisably connected.

• 🧊 Shaved ice: Indonesia’s es serut and the Philippines’ halo-halo both turn shaved ice into colourful, refreshing desserts, with different toppings and flavour combinations.

• 🐟 Fish snacks: Indonesia’s pempek and Malaysia’s keropok lekor both turn fish into popular snacks, but with distinct preparations and textures. Malaysia’s keropok lekor combines ground fish with sago flour.

• 🍢 Satay: Satay appears across Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, with each culinary tradition giving the skewered dish its own interpretation.

• 🍜 Rice noodles: Thailand’s pad Thai and the many flat-rice-noodle dishes found across Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore show how a similar staple can become very different plates. Thailand’s pad Thai is traditionally stir-fried with ingredients including tofu, dried shrimp, egg and peanuts.

🌍 ASEAN Day isn’t celebrated the same way everywhere

Not only at the ASEAN Headquarters in Jakarta, but the 59th anniversary of ASEAN was also celebrated in various ways outside Southeast Asia, ranging from cultural festivals and food fairs to the illumination of historic monuments.

• 🇲🇦 Rabat – ASEAN’s cultural bazaar: The ASEAN Cultural Festival combines food, traditional performances, handicrafts and cultural display, giving Moroccan audiences a more direct introduction to Southeast Asian culture. The 2026 edition, held on 25 July, was also the festival’s second edition, with part of the proceeds donated to charity.

• 🇮🇳 New Delhi – ASEAN takes over a landmark: A projection of colours and the ASEAN emblem, accompanied by the ASEAN Anthem, at Qutub Minar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The projection offers a highly visual way of bringing ASEAN to a major public landmark.

• 🇬🇷 Athens - ASEAN around the dinner table: A celebration at the Thai Residence combined traditional performances and food stalls showcasing ASEAN cuisine, whilst bringing together ASEAN diplomats, Greek officials and representatives of Dialogue Partners.

🧐 So, What Does This Tell Us About ASEAN?

Food shows that ASEAN’s diversity does not exist in isolation. Flavours, recipes and culinary traditions have travelled across borders, evolved locally and created connections that long predate the region’s political institutions.

Meanwhile, celebrations in cities beyond Southeast Asia show how ASEAN’s identity can travel beyond its borders through culture, food and people-to-people connections.

Different plates, shared connections.

📌 Bottom Line

The various ways in which ASEAN’s 59th anniversary has been celebrated demonstrate that regional connections are not limited to formal diplomacy, but can also be forged through everything from the flavours of shared family meals to cultural festivals and public celebrations. As ASEAN looks to the future, these connections between people and cultures can help foster inclusive and relevant regional cooperation. Different plates, different celebrations, but shared connections continue to bring ASEAN together. 🤝

📰 Need More Angle?

• The ASEAN Magazine The Spices and Flavours of a Shared Cultural Identity

• The ASEAN Magazine ASEAN Street Food: A Culinary Journey

• Athens Royal Thai Embassy The Royal Thai Embassy in Athens Organised a Ceremony to Celebrate the 59th ASEAN Day in the Hellenic Republic

• The Economic Times "Ties will continue to grow guided by Act East policy": Jaishankar reaffirms India-ASEAN partnership on 59th ASEAN Day

• Morocco World News Thai Embassy Hosts ASEAN Cultural Festival in Rabat to Mark Bloc’s 59th Anniversary

#ASEANDay #ASEAN59 #FoodDiplomacy #SoutheastAsia #ASEANCommunity #CulturalDiplomacy #FlavoursOfASEAN #ASEANPartners #Jakarta #ASEANSecretariat

(DHM/BRZ/ELS)

🎯 Main Takeaway

The ASEAN-Japan Centre (AJC) officially opened an exhibition at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta on 11 August 2026. The exhibition, which runs from 11 to 13 August 2026, marks the first exhibition stand under a new initiative by the ASEAN Secretariat to provide a dedicated space for ASEAN Centres of Excellence and ASEAN-accredited entities to showcase their work, expertise and contributions to the public and stakeholders.

The exhibition also marks the 45th anniversary of the ASEAN-Japan Centre, showcasing how ASEAN-Japan relations have evolved. The focus has shifted from trade, investment and tourism towards people-to-people exchanges, youth development, cultural exchange and sustainable cooperation.

At the same time, the role and involvement of the younger generation in the ASEAN-Japan Young Environmental Leaders Network (AJYELN) demonstrate how this cooperation is preparing to tackle new challenges such as climate change and technological developments like Artificial Intelligence (AI).

📡 Why its in Our Radar

The ASEAN-Japan Centre was established in 1981 by the Japanese government and the ten ASEAN Member States, with the aim of strengthening ASEAN-Japan relations; for over four decades, it has played a role in promoting trade, investment, tourism and people-to-people exchanges.

In 2023, to mark 50 years of friendship and cooperation through the Tokyo Commemorative Summit, ASEAN and Japanese leaders agreed to deepen the ‘heart-to-heart’ ties between ASEAN and Japan and to jointly build a peaceful, sustainable, inclusive and prosperous society.

Therefore, the 45th anniversary of the AJC in 2026 is not only an opportunity to look back on the long journey of ASEAN–Japan cooperation, but also a moment to reflect on how these relations have evolved and remain relevant in the face of new challenges in this era.

🌏 Where is the ASEAN-Japan Centre Heading?

After 45 years as the primary bridge between ASEAN and Japan, the AJC is seeking to expand its role through AJC 5.5, a medium-term strategy leading up to 2030. Under this strategy, the AJC’s new direction is to act as a regional catalyst and bridge-builder for more inclusive, sustainable and people-centred ASEAN–Japan relations through heart-to-heart partnerships, co-creation and innovation.

This strategy is built upon five key objectives:

1. Inclusive, Resilient, and Sustainable Trade

2. Sustainable Impact Investment

3. Sustainable and Responsible Tourism

4. Leadership and People exchange

5. Advocacy, Communication, and Partnership for Change.

These five objectives are implemented through five transformative pathways: community empowerment; creating a sustainable and digitally connected future; strengthening regional resilience; utilising evidence and innovation for policy-making; and knowledge diplomacy and strategic visibility.

The AJC has also identified five economic sectors as enablers: the digital economy, the green and blue economy, the creative economy, the nature-positive economy, and the wellness economy. Thus, the AJC’s existing mandate is retained, but placed within a new context of digitalisation, sustainability, resilience, and more people-centred development.

🤝 From Economic Ties to People-to-People Connections

For 45 years, the AJC has served as a bridge between ASEAN and Japan through four key areas:

• Trade & Investment: The AJC expands access for ASEAN products and businesses to Japan through a range of activities, including trade promotion, investment, business matching and capacity building. Recent examples include the Vietnam–Japan Investment and Trade Cooperation Conference, a programme to help Vietnamese MSMEs enter the digital trade sector, and the Indonesia–Japan circular value chains collaboration in 2026.

• Tourism: In the tourism sector, the AJC promotes tourist flows as well as the exchange of best practices across the industry. Programmes such as the ASEAN-Japan Sustainable Tourism Best Practices Knowledge Sharing initiative bring together tourism stakeholders to share experiences on how the sector can grow more sustainably.

• People-to-People Exchange: The ASEAN-Japan Centre strives to bring closer ties to the public through various cultural exchange programmes, educational activities, and youth and leadership programmes. One example is the AJYBB Youth Co-Creation Lab 2026, which invites young people from ASEAN and Japan to meet, talk and create through the exchange of ideas and collaboration.

• Youth & Sustainability: The ASEAN-Japan Young Environmental Leaders Network (AJYELN) programme brings together young people from ASEAN and Japan to develop solutions to plastic pollution. Some of its initiatives have included coastal clean-ups, plastic reduction campaigns, and circular economy projects across various ASEAN countries.

👥 Youth as the Next Generation of ASEAN–Japan Partnership

Young people play a vital and central role in AJC 5.5 Goal 4. The AJC specifically prioritises the empowerment of young people and women, including through leadership exchanges and cooperation on marine plastic waste. The aim is not merely to bring together young people from ASEAN and Japan, but also to encourage them to develop concrete solutions to issues at the community, national, regional and global levels.

This is being realised through the ASEAN-Japan Young Environmental Leaders Network (AJYELN), which was launched in 2023 as the AJC’s flagship youth leadership programme. The programme equips young people with training, mentoring, networking opportunities and seed funding to develop and implement environmental projects in their communities.

The impact is beginning to show. According to data presented at the exhibition, AJYELN recorded 182 activities, reached 44,279 people, and involved 153 supporting organisations between 2023 and 2025. The programme also recorded 4.9 tonnes of waste collected and US$2.2 million in seed funding utilised.

In 2026, AJYELN 2.0 brings together young people from ASEAN and Japan to deepen their understanding of plastic-related issues, turn ideas into action, and build networks to work towards shared solutions. Under the theme “Youth for a Plastic-Resilient Region: Action. Innovation. Transformation”, the programme emphasises concrete action and innovative solutions for regional sustainability.

Their presence at the exhibition symbolises that people-to-people exchange is no longer merely a cultural exchange or a visit. The younger generation is also positioned as co-creators in addressing shared challenges.

“Their enthusiasm and commitment reaffirmed my conviction that investing in young people is indeed investing in the future of our partnership,” – ASEAN Secretary-General Dr. Kao Kim Hourn.

🌏 Bigger Picture

ASEAN–Japan relations now exist in a different context compared to when the AJC was first established in 1981. While early cooperation was largely built on trade, investment and tourism, the relationship now increasingly encompasses more cross-border issues—ranging from climate change and sustainability to digital transformation and AI.

This demonstrates that maintaining long-term relations requires more than simply preserving existing cooperation. The partnership must also continue to adapt to new challenges, whilst strengthening connections at the grassroots level. In this context, the AJC serves as a platform that transforms ASEAN–Japan relations from economic cooperation into broader regional cooperation.

📌 Bottom Line

The exhibition, which also marks the 45th anniversary of the AJC, is not merely a look back at what ASEAN and Japan have built over more than four decades. It also serves as a reminder that this partnership must continue to evolve in response to the region’s challenges and those of the next generation.

From trade and tourism to youth-led environmental action, this exhibition highlights a common thread: keeping the ASEAN–Japan relationship connected, relevant and forward-looking.

🔍 Need More Angle?

ASEAN-Japan Centre ASEAN-Japan Centre

(DHM/AKS/ELS)

🎯 The Main Takeaway

Indonesians around the world celebrated the 81st anniversary of independence on 17 August 2026, with embassies from Yaoundé to Washington, D.C., hosting events that brought together diaspora communities, local friends, and international partners.

From the streets of Madrid to the islands of Nouméa, the red-and-white flag flew high, carrying the spirit of unity, mutual cooperation, and cultural pride.

The celebrations showcased Indonesian culture, from Reog Ponorogo in Washington to Betawi performances in Rabat, while also demonstrating solidarity with disaster victims back home.

But in Jakarta, the day after the celebrations, hundreds of students from Universitas Indonesia took to the streets, carrying eight demands that questioned the very nature of independence.

📡 Why It’s on Our Radar

Indonesia’s Independence Day is not only a national event but also a moment of global significance.

The celebrations highlighted Indonesia’s soft power and its ties with countries across the world, with events spanning Africa, Europe, the Americas, the Pacific, and East Asia.

The diversity of activities, from the Indonesian Market in Rabat to the Red-and-White Walk in Madrid and the Indonesia Fair in Beijing, demonstrated the creativity and enthusiasm of the diaspora in keeping Indonesian culture alive far from home.

Yet the student protests in Jakarta on 18 August offered a stark reminder that for many, the promise of independence remains unfulfilled. The BEM UI (Universitas Indonesia Student Organisation) demonstration raised eight demands concerning economic hardship, corruption, land reform, and the concentration of power.

🌍 Celebrations Across the Globe

🇨🇲 Yaoundé, Cameroon:

The Indonesian Embassy hosted a vibrant celebration attended by Indonesians, the ASEAN community, and Friends of Indonesia. The event began with a solemn flag-raising ceremony commemorating both the 81st Independence Day and the 59th anniversary of ASEAN, followed by traditional games that brought together Indonesians and Cameroonians in laughter and camaraderie.

The celebration concluded with a tumpeng cutting ceremony, while a Culinary Safari on 12 August introduced local communities to Indonesian snacks.

🇨🇴 Bogotá, Colombia:

The 81st Independence Day celebration was marked by a grand ceremony attended by around 250 Indonesians and Colombians, including ambassadors, mayors, and university rectors.

A symphony orchestra from the Tocaima Mayor’s Office performed Indonesia Raya and Indonesian patriotic songs, adding a unique musical touch to the flag-raising ceremony.

The event also featured traditional Indonesian games such as tug-of-war, marble races, and a Tobelo dance chair competition. Colombian students trained by the embassy performed traditional dances, inviting attendees to join the festivities.

Ambassador Tatang Budie Utama Razak delivered a speech in Spanish, highlighting Indonesia’s journey from independence to its current role in international forums.

🇲🇦 Rabat, Morocco:

The Indonesian Embassy transformed its premises into a traditional Indonesian market under the theme “Experience Indonesia without leaving Rabat.”

The event featured traditional arts performances, Indonesian cuisine, handicrafts, and tourism information.

Visitors received a special “L’Marché Indonésien” passport and were invited to explore Indonesian traditions while sampling traditional snacks and drinks.

The event also included a fun walk, a Betawi cultural performance featuring Ondel-Ondel, and live performances by Indonesian students.

The event marked the launch of Bersa.ma, an appointment application for consular services, which became widely available to Indonesians in Morocco on 15 August.

🇪🇸 Madrid, Spain:

The Indonesian Embassy organised a Red-and-White Walk on 9 August, during which participants dressed in Indonesia’s national colours and walked past the city’s most famous landmarks.

At El Retiro, the celebration continued with traditional Indonesian games, including sack races, a pen-and-bottle challenge, a penalty-kick game, and a best-costume competition.

On 17 August, around 150 diaspora members and Friends of Indonesia gathered at the embassy for a flag-raising ceremony. For many, it was their first experience of Indonesian culture, including the Paskibra team, traditional attire such as Dayak clothing, and Indonesian cuisine such as tumpeng, kue lapis, and rawon.

🇫🇷 Nouméa, New Caledonia:

In the city of Nouméa, on an island in the Pacific Ocean, the Indonesian community gathered to celebrate Independence Day despite the ceremony falling on a working day, bringing together members of the Indonesian diaspora, including some of Indonesian descent who are now French citizens.

The gathering highlighted how distance and differences in citizenship have not prevented the Indonesian diaspora in Nouméa from maintaining their connection to Indonesia. Sports competitions were held on 25–26 July leading up to the main celebration.

🇨🇳 Beijing, China:

Indonesia Fair 2026 attracted around 6,000 visitors on 15 August. The event featured performances by popular musicians from eastern Indonesia, including Chesylino, Wulan Sari, and Rizky Teng, who performed hits such as Tor Monitor, Terserah, Maumere, and Yamko Rambe Yamko.

The event began with a moment of silence for earthquake victims in East Nusa Tenggara. The Trio Obras, featuring Ambassador Djauhari Oratmangun and his family, performed national and eastern Indonesian songs.

The fair featured around 30 stalls offering Indonesian handicrafts, batik, and food products. The event also marked the launch of a book on Bali by Chinese author Yen Lu and the second phase of the V Start Snack Video programme.

🇺🇸 Washington D.C., USA :

The Indonesian Embassy organised a vibrant community celebration under the national theme “A Sovereign, Just, and Prosperous Indonesia.” A mesmerising Reog Ponorogo performance featuring a towering lion mask captivated the audience, bringing festive energy to the celebrations.

The flag-raising ceremony featured a newly inducted Paskibra team that included Indonesian youth born and raised in America. The celebration also featured a best national dress competition and classic Independence Day games such as cracker-eating contests, musical chairs, and marble races.

🇧🇪 Brussels, Belgium:

About a thousand diaspora members attended the celebration, which incorporated fundraising and prayers for earthquake victims. The celebration featured 21 stalls offering Indonesian food, beverages, and traditional textiles, along with traditional games and live performances of popular Indonesian songs.

A special booth from the DKI Jakarta government, featuring Abang and None Jakarta 2025 in Betawi attire, promoted Betawi culture.

🇸🇷 Paramaribo, Suriname:

Ambassador Agus Priono urged the Indonesian community to always be grateful for the blessing of independence. The embassy held a flag-raising ceremony and conferred awards upon Indonesian citizens and diaspora members who have contributed to diplomatic efforts in Suriname.

The celebration featured a talent showcase, badminton and table tennis tournaments, and served as a platform to nurture the potential of the Indonesian diaspora.

⚠️ The Celebration Aftermath: Student Protests in Jakarta

While diasporas celebrated abroad, hundreds of UI students marched to Bundaran HI on 18 August with eight demands:

The students’ eight demands included:

• Stop the colonisation of the state over its own people

• Stop Corruption, Collusion, and Nepotism (KKN)

• Achieve genuine agrarian reform

• Lower prices of basic goods and fuel

• Evaluate all National Strategic Projects (PSN) and stop the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) and Red and White Village Cooperative (KDMP) programmes

• Stop the concentration of power and the reduction of Transfers to Regions (TKD), and restore regional autonomy

• Declare a national disaster status for Sumatra and Flores and accelerate recovery for affected areas

• Stop repressive actions and TNI-Polri intervention in civilian spaces, and disband YON TP

The students were initially intercepted at Sudirman and prohibited from using vehicles to reach Bundaran HI. They then continued on foot in a long march toward the protest site.

Approximately 5,836 security personnel were deployed, and traffic flow was managed as needed.

🏁 The Bottom Line

From Yaoundé to Nouméa, the 81st Independence Day celebrations demonstrated the enduring connection between Indonesia and its diaspora, reaffirming that the spirit of Indonesia is not confined by geography.

The celebrations also showed remarkable solidarity, with fundraising and prayers for earthquake victims across several embassies.

But in Jakarta, the student protests reminded the nation that independence is not just a historical achievement; it is an ongoing struggle.

The students’ eight demands reflected a deep questioning of whether the promises of 81 years ago have been fulfilled.

These complementing narratives: diaspora pride and student critique are not contradictions. They are the reality of a diverse, complex nation marking its 81st year.

For the Indonesian diaspora, Independence Day is not just a commemoration; it is a reaffirmation of identity, a celebration of culture, and a promise to keep Indonesia's spirit alive wherever they may be.

For the students in Jakarta, it is a reminder that the work of independence is never truly finished.

(TSEAD)

🎯 The Main Takeaway

Indonesia commemorated its 81st Independence Day on 17 August 2026 with a markedly sombre tone, as President Prabowo Subianto redirected the nation’s focus from celebration toward compassion for citizens affected by recent natural disasters.

The commemoration was observed across multiple sites: the official ceremony in Jakarta, diaspora gatherings in Southeast Asian cities Yangon, Dili, and Kuching, and a grassroots “People’s Ceremony” in Pati, Central Java.

These distinct events reflected the diversity of how Indonesians, at home and across the region, chose to mark the occasion.

The president’s decision to scale back festivities and prioritise disaster victims highlighted the government’s acknowledgement that national celebration cannot ignore national suffering.

📡 Why It’s on Our Radar

The 81st Independence Day celebrations reflected a nation and a diaspora navigating multiple realities: official commemoration, disaster response, regional diaspora pride, and grassroots critique.

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🇮🇩 In Jakarta: A Ceremony of Empathy

President Prabowo, serving as ceremony inspector, urged the nation to honour founding heroes while extending thoughts and prayers to disaster victims.

Several cabinet ministers travelled to Manggarai Regency, NTT, to mark Independence Day directly alongside displaced communities.

The government also adjusted planned evening celebrations: the fireworks display at the HI Roundabout was postponed, and the 360-degree video mapping at the National Monument (Monas) will carry messages of condolence and support.

🇲🇲 Yangon: A Solemn Flag-Raising Among Friends

In Yangon, Myanmar, the Indonesian Embassy hosted a flag-raising ceremony on 17 August, attended by Indonesian citizens, students, and Friends of Myanmar. The Chargé d’Affaires ad interim, Novan Ivanhoe Saleh, acted as Inspector of Ceremony.

The flag was raised by a student squad from the Indonesian School in Yangon, comprising seven students who played a key role in fostering nationalism among young Indonesians abroad.

Service awards were also presented to two embassy staff members for 30 and 20 years of dedicated service.

The ceremony strengthened community ties among Indonesians in Myanmar while introducing Indonesian nationalism to the local community.

The flying of the Red and White flag affirmed that the spirit of unity and mutual cooperation remains alive wherever Indonesians may be, including across Southeast Asia.

🇹🇱 Dili: From the Community, for the Community

In Dili, Timor-Leste, the Indonesian Embassy organised a series of community-oriented events leading up to 17 August under the theme “From the Community, for the Community.”

The celebrations began with a blood donation drive, badminton and futsal tournaments, and a Community Festival featuring traditional games and competitions.

The Chargé d’Affaires ad interim emphasised the importance of mutual cooperation (gotong-royong), reminding the diaspora that they remain part of one Indonesian family, even far from home.

A solemn tribute was held at the Seroja Heroes Cemetery to honour fallen heroes.

The flag-raising ceremony on 17 August featured a newly inducted Paskibra team and attendees in traditional attire.

The event strengthened social solidarity and fostered harmony between Indonesia and Timor-Leste, demonstrating that the spirit of Indonesian independence is not confined by borders; it extends across the region.

🇲🇾 Kuching: A Community Gathering in Sarawak

In Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, Indonesia’s Consulate General hosted a celebration on 17 August, attended by more than 300 members of the Indonesian diaspora, as well as guests and staff.

The event began with a flag-raising ceremony to the accompaniment of Indonesia Raya, followed by a tumpeng cutting ceremony as an expression of gratitude to commemorate the 81st Independence Anniversary.

The diaspora also had access to free health screenings, including blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and Body Mass Index checks, reflecting a commitment to the community's health and well-being.

Ratna Wiryawan, 76, an Indonesian citizen who has lived in Kuching for more than 20 years, shared that she has attended the Independence Day ceremony at KJRI Kuching every year.

She said her participation is a way of expressing gratitude to God for the blessing of a long life and a reflection of her enduring love for her homeland.

The gathering in Kuching highlighted the strong ties between the Indonesian diaspora and their host community in Sarawak, reinforcing the spirit of mutual cooperation and cultural pride.

🇮🇩 East Nusa Tenggara: Ministers Mark Independence Day at Disaster Site

Several of Indonesia’s cabinet ministers skipped the Jakarta ceremony to commemorate Independence Day and instead joined displaced communities in Manggarai Regency, NTT, the epicentre of the recent earthquake.

Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, Pratikno, emphasised that the government’s presence was critical to the ongoing disaster response.

“Since the first day of the event, we have been in NTT to survey the field and discuss accelerating recovery,” Pratikno explained.

BNPB Head Suharyanto confirmed 69 fatalities and instructed local governments to expedite damage assessments, insisting that recovery must begin immediately without waiting for complete data.

The response includes two logistics hubs in Labuan Bajo and Maumere, distributing 50,000 basic food packages personally donated by President Prabowo.

A fleet of over ten aircraft and helicopters has been deployed for medical evacuations and supply drops to remote islands.

⚠️ A Voice from the Voiceless: The People’s Ceremony in Kendeng

In Pati, Central Java, a “People’s Ceremony” organised by the Jaringan Masyarakat Peduli Pegunungan Kendeng (JMPPK) offered a contrast to official commemorations.

Led by Gunretno, a traditional leader of the Sedulur Sikep community, the ceremony brought together farmers, civil society groups, and academics who have resisted limestone mining in the Kendeng Mountains for more than 20 years.

“This ceremony exists to realise Pancasila so that it does not merely remain text.”
— Gunretno, Sedulur Sikep community leader

Civil society groups in attendance included Kabinet Bayangan (Shadow Cabinet), Konferensi Republik, Forum Intelektual Antar-Disiplin (FIAD), LBH Semarang, and Masjid Nurul Asri.

Participants raised concerns about the allocation of village funds (up to 70% directed to the Red and White Village Cooperative), food poisoning cases in the Free Nutritious Meal programme, civil servants' welfare issues, and inadequate disaster response due to budget constraints.

The ceremony offered an alternative perspective on independence, arguing that freedom is not a historical achievement but an ongoing struggle for land, livelihood, and the right to shape their own future.

🏠 Why This Hits Home

Independence Day is a moment when Indonesians, whether in Jakarta, disaster-stricken NTT, or diaspora communities across Southeast Asia, come together as one.

In Yangon, Dili, and Kuching, the red-and-white flag flew high, carried by students, families, and elders who have kept Indonesia's spirit alive far from home.

The government’s decision to scale back festivities and redirect attention to disaster victims reflected an acknowledgement that national celebration cannot ignore national suffering.

The presence of ministers on the ground in NTT underscored a commitment to action, at least in principle.

Yet the People’s Ceremony in Pati raised a different question: for communities long marginalised by extractive industries, what does independence actually mean?

For the farmers of Kendeng, it means the ability to protect their land, water, and livelihoods from development that benefits distant corporations more than local residents.

🏁 The Bottom Line

In Jakarta, the government projected empathy and restraint.

In Yangon, Dili, and Kuching, the diaspora reaffirmed cultural pride and national belonging.

In disaster-stricken East Nusa Tenggara, ministers demonstrated that some official duties are best performed far from the capital.

In Pati, a different kind of commemoration unfolded, one that challenged the official narrative.

For the farmers and activists gathered on Bukit Selo Montro, freedom is not a historical achievement but an ongoing struggle for land, livelihood, and the right to shape their own future.

(TSEAD)

🎯 Main Takeaway

Not all trips have to revolve around viral landmarks, crowded places, or social media recommendations. Currently, many trips are synonymous with these viral things, long queues, and packed itineraries. For some tourists, visiting viral and crowded places like this feels exhausting. They prefer to travel to slower, more peaceful places that are closer to nature.

In Southeast Asia, there are still corners where connectivity can be limited—or simply becomes less important and the sound of vehicles is replaced by the sounds of wildlife. The main activity is not just about hunting for content to feed social media, but rather enjoying the journey itself. This has become a trend of digital detox and slow travel, increasingly favored by people who simply want to “log off” from daily life and try unusual new experiences.

Starting from staying on a Klotok boat on the Kalimantan River in Indonesia; waking up in a floating bungalow in Thailand, or simply watching wildlife in the jungles of Laos, these off-grid destinations offer alternatives that present the most unique natural landscapes in the region.

👀 Why its in Our Radar

• 🌿Popular tourist destinations are too crowded: Many iconic tourist destinations in Southeast Asia are always bustling and packed with tourists. Many travelers are starting to look for alternative destinations that offer a more tranquil and personal experience.

• 📵 Interest in slow travel and digital detox continues to grow: Some travelers want to have a slower, more meaningful travel experience, focusing on nature, mental well-being, and experiences that allow them to temporarily disconnect from digital routine notifications.

• 🗺️ Southeast Asia holds many natural areas that are relatively ‘hidden gems’: Behind the hustle and bustle of major cities and mainstream destinations, this region has many rainforests, rivers, national parks, and islands that still offer a sense of adventure and tranquility that is rarely found.

• ✨ Every destination offers a unique experience: Staying on a Klotok boat in Kalimantan, staying in a floating bungalow in Thailand. Wildlife safari in Laos, to cave exploration in Vietnam. Off-grid travel in Southeast Asia is not just about getting away from the crowds, but also about the experience of connecting with nature.

• 🦧 It is more than a holiday—it is an experience: These destinations invite travelers to see wildlife in their natural habitat, explore well-preserved ecosystems, and enjoy a journey that cannot be measured solely by the number of places visited.

🌳🌌 6 Off-Grid Escapes in Southeast Asia

🏝️ Coron - 🇵🇭 Filipina

Although it is becoming increasingly popular and is widely recognized as one of Palawan’s major destinations, Coron’s quieter charm can often be found beyond its busiest tourist routes. Towering karst islands rise from turquoise waters, while beaches and lagoons accessible only by boat can make some corners of Coron feel remarkably secluded.

Activities include island hopping to lagoons and secluded beaches, snorkeling and diving around World War II shipwrecks, and exploring Kayangan Lake and the dramatic Twin Lagoon. For a more off-grid experience, some operators also offer multi-day expeditions between Coron and El Nido, with itineraries that pass through remote islands and may include overnight stays at beach camps.

🚤 Tanjung Puting National Park - 🇮🇩 Indonesia

In Central Kalimantan, Tanjung Puting National Park offers a very different kind of escape: spending several nights aboard a klotok, a traditional wooden riverboat that cruises along the Sekonyer River through tropical rainforest and wetland landscapes. Instead of returning to a hotel each evening, travelers sleep on the boat and wake up surrounded by the sounds of the forest.

Among the most common itineraries are 3-day, 2-night and 4-day, 3-night trips, which can include visits to Pondok Tanggui and Camp Leakey, a renowned orangutan research and reintroduction site. Along the way, travelers may encounter proboscis monkeys, hornbills, orangutans and other wildlife.

🐅 Nam Et-Phou Louey National Park - 🇱🇦 Laos

Nam Et-Phou Louey is a conservation area known for its wildlife conservation-based tourism programs. The difficult access is the reason why this area still feels very natural.

Most visits are conducted through 2–3 day packages, with the main activity being a night safari on the Nam Nern River. As night falls, the boat moves slowly along the river while the guide looks for signs of wildlife along the forest edge. This experience feels more like a conservation expedition than a conventional holiday—and that’s precisely its appeal.

🐒 Kinabatangan River - 🇲🇾 Malaysia

Kinabatangan offers an experience more like a safari activity than a nature tour. Not with long treks, the activities here are mostly done with small boats navigating the river at sunrise and sunset, the best times to see wildlife.

To fully enjoy this tour, tourists need up to 3 days and 2 nights with several river safari sessions and short treks in the surrounding forest. In one trip, visitors have the opportunity to see proboscis monkeys, hornbills, crocodiles, and the Bornean pygmy elephant, which is an icon of this area. Because wildlife is the main attraction, the longer you stay, the greater the chance of seeing more species.

🛶 Khao Sok National Park - 🇹🇭 Thailand

Thailand is often associated with beaches and cuisine, but Khao Sok offers a very different, more tranquil side of the country. At the heart of the national park is Cheow Lan Lake, a vast expanse of emerald-green water surrounded by towering limestone cliffs and dense rainforest.

One of the most immersive ways to experience the lake is by staying in its floating raft houses, where visitors wake up surrounded by water and forest. A popular option is a 2-day, 1-night stay, with itineraries commonly including boat excursions, wildlife spotting, kayaking and visits to caves or other parts of the lake, depending on the operator.

The overnight experience is particularly atmospheric at dawn, when mist often hangs over the water and the limestone cliffs emerge through the haze. Rather than simply passing through Khao Sok on a day trip, staying overnight gives travelers more time to experience the lake’s rainforest environment at a slower pace.

⛰️ Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park - 🇻🇳 Vietnam

In Phong Nha, adventure does not only happen on the surface. The area is recognized by UNESCO for its vast network of caves, including Son Doong, widely recognized as the world’s largest known cave passage by volume. However, even without embarking on extreme expeditions, this region still offers plenty to explore.

Most tourists allocate 2 to 4 days to visit the main caves such as Paradise Cave and Phong Nha Cave, cycle through the countryside, or go trekking to more remote cave systems. Compared to the bustling major cities of Vietnam, Phong Nha offers a much more relaxed and slower atmospher.

🏡 Why this Hits Home

Southeast Asia may be more commonly known for its bustling cities, famous beaches, and various tourist destinations. However, the most memorable experiences in this region are actually found far from those places.

From the rainforests of Indonesia to cave expeditions in Vietnam, these destinations highlight a different side of Southeast Asia, where nature still sets the rhythm and silence becomes part of the journey.

At a time when many places are competing to go viral, it is these quiet places that are starting to be sought after.

🌱 Bottom Line

An off-grid journey is not about avoiding people—it’s about choosing and trying experiences where nature takes center stage.

Whether it’s staying on a boat while traversing the Tanjung Puting rainforest, sleeping on the water in Khao Sok, or exploring remote conservation areas in Laos, Southeast Asia still offers places where travelers can disconnect from the noise and reconnect with the world around them.

(DHM/VBD)

🔍 Need More Angle?

Borneo Advanture Kinabatangan River - some of the best wildlife watching in SE Asia

Sabah Tourism Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary

Inside Asia Tours Link travel with wildlife conservation at Nam Et Phou Louey National Park

Khaosok Khao Sok National Park

Tourism Thailand Khao Sok National Park

Laos WCS Nam Et-Phou Louey NP

The Week Disconnect and unwind at a digital detox retreat

Traveloka Menjelajahi Indahnya Pulau Coron, Palawan

UNESCO Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and Hin Nam No National Park - UNESCO World Heritage Centre

Vietnam Tourism Things to do in Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park - the world’s largest cave

Vietnam Travel A complete guide to Phong Nha

Vogue How We Travel Is Going Analog, Too

🎙️ Opening

🌏 What if Southeast Asia isn’t just becoming a popular destination...

✈️ but the first stop for a whole new generation of travelers?

🇮🇳 Especially travelers from India.

📈 The number of Indian travelers coming to Southeast Asia has been growing by around 30 percent year-on-year.

🎒 But there’s another trend changing the way people experience Southeast Asia:

Solo travel.

🤝 And for solo travelers, the biggest question isn’t always...

“Where should I go?”

It’s...

🔐 “Can I trust this place?”

🎙️ Hello, and welcome to The Southeast Asia Desk Weekly Dispatch Podcast.

I’m Rheza Ardiansyah.

🧭 This is where we slow down the headlines and make sense of the stories shaping Southeast Asia.

🎒 Today, we’re exploring why Southeast Asia is becoming a new playground for solo travelers. Joining me from New Delhi, India, is the Head of Growth at Zostel, Prajit Mittal—this interview transcript was generated by AI.

🌏 What are the recent travel trends in Southeast Asia?

🎙️ Rheza:
Prajit, can you tell us about the recent global travel trends in Southeast Asia?

💬 Prajit:
First of all, thank you for having me. It’s great to be here.

🌏 I do feel that there has been a huge shift in Southeast Asian travel trends in recent years.

🇮🇳 There is a growing demand from Southeast Asian destinations among Indian travelers. India has become a huge market.

📈 I’m seeing around a 30% year-on-year rise in the number of travelers from India coming to Southeast Asia, especially 🇹🇭 Thailand and 🇻🇳 Vietnam, followed by 🇮🇩 Indonesia, specifically Bali.

🇨🇳🇲🇾 Indians are increasingly replacing Chinese and Malaysian travelers, who were previously among the biggest traveler groups.

💰 One reason is simply that Indians now have more disposable income.

✈️ Air travel has also become faster and cheaper, with more flights available.

🛂 At the same time, travel friction has been reduced. There are fewer visa restrictions, and it’s much easier to get a visa for Indonesia. There are also no visa requirements for Indians traveling to Vietnam or Thailand.

🇮🇳 Why is Southeast Asia becoming a preferred destination for Indian travelers?

🎙️ Rheza:
Do you have any other analysis of how and why Southeast Asia could become a preferred choice for Indian travelers?

💬 Prajit:
🇪🇺 When you compare it with Europe, for example, you have to go through the entire visa process. It’s a whole headache altogether.

✈️ The flight hours to Europe or other destinations are also much longer and more difficult.

🌏 So Southeast Asia naturally becomes the first choice, especially for first-time travelers.

🎒 There is also a natural journey that travelers from India go through.

➡️ They may start with Southeast Asia.

➡️ Then, as they become more experienced, they travel to iconic destinations in Europe, North America, Australia, and elsewhere.

🔄 And as they become even more experienced travelers, they tend to come back to Southeast Asia looking for more experiential travel.

✨ The experiences available in Southeast Asia have become much richer.

🏝️ The region has also developed more luxury experiences, which are increasingly attractive to people with higher disposable incomes.

🎒 What was your first experience traveling to Southeast Asia?

🎙️ Rheza:
Speaking of first-time travelers, have you ever visited Southeast Asia before?

💬 Prajit:
Oh, I’ve been to Southeast Asia at least a couple of dozen times now.

🇹🇭 My favorite place is Thailand. That’s where my travel journey started.

🧑‍🎓 I was around 17, just about to turn 18, and I had some money saved from freelancing.

✈️ I really wanted to travel. I’d seen Thailand on YouTube and everywhere else, and I just wanted to experience it myself.

🤫 I didn’t tell anyone at home.

I just left for the airport.

💵 I found a super-cheap deal—around 100 dollars for a return flight to Bangkok.

📞 I called my family from the airport and told them I was going.

😅 Then I basically said, “Don’t scold me!”

🌏 It was a life-changing experience.

💡 I realized that the world was much bigger than what I’d seen before.

🏠 How did staying in a hostel change your perspective on travel?

💬 Prajit:
The first time I stayed in a hostel was actually quite scary.

😰 I didn’t know anything about hostels. I thought I would stay in a cheap hotel.

🏨 But then I stumbled upon a hostel in Phuket called Slumber Party.

💵 The dorm bed was around 100 baht, and I remember thinking:

🤔 “I have to share a room with strangers?”

🧳 “Will my bag be safe?”

😟 “What if something happens?”

There were so many unknowns.

✨ But once I got into it, the whole story changed.

🤝 I made a lot of friends, and I still talk to some of them more than 10 years later.

🍜 I had dinner with them on a street in Thailand that I would never have discovered on my own.

🌶️ I probably wouldn’t have tried Thai street food if it wasn’t for them.

🎉 I went on my first pub crawl.

🥾 I went hiking and trekking with people I’d never met before.

🐍 We even saw snakes together.

🌌 And there was another time when I was backpacking and the bus tire burst in the middle of the night in a desert.

🚌💥 We couldn’t do anything.

⭐ So I just looked up at the sky.

🌌 It became one of the best stargazing experiences of my life.

🏝️ Why did Zostel choose Phuket as its first Southeast Asian destination?

🎙️ Rheza:
Interestingly, several years after you first visited Phuket, Zostel launched Zostel Phuket.

Can you tell us more about what inspired Zostel Phuket?

💬 Prajit:
It really started with that first trip to Phuket about 10 years ago.

🏝️ A couple of years back, I was there again with my co-founder on a relaxing holiday.

🌊 We weren’t doing anything. We were just chilling on the beach and sitting at bars.

💡 And that’s when it hit us:

“This is where Zostel should be.”

🇮🇳 We had taught people in India how to travel.

🗺️ We’d helped people explore new destinations across India.

🌏 And we felt it was time to go outside India.

🇹🇭 Phuket felt like the natural place to begin our expansion journey in Southeast Asia.

📊 The data and business analysis came afterward.

❤️ The initial decision was simply:

“We enjoy this place. This is where we should be.”

Zostel already had a huge travel community—around 5 million travelers.

🎒 We felt that traveling outside India and seeking new experiences was the natural next step for that community.

🌏 Now we want to create new destinations in Thailand that aren’t as explored—and eventually expand beyond Thailand into other parts of Southeast Asia.

🎒 What makes solo travel so transformative?

🎙️ Rheza:
You’ve traveled to several countries in Southeast Asia. Let’s talk more about solo travel.

How can Southeast Asians—and travelers from beyond the region—enjoy solo travel in Southeast Asia?

💬 Prajit:
Solo travel totally changes your life.

🌱 It changes your perspective.

👀 It changes how you see things.

🧠 And ultimately, it changes you.

🤝 A lot of it comes down to trust.

You learn that you can trust people and that there doesn’t have to be fear around traveling alone.

🚌 You have to make small decisions by yourself.

🤔 Should I take this bus?

👤 Should I trust this person who’s approaching me?

🔄 What should I do if my plans suddenly change?

💳 Will they accept my money?

🍜 Will there be food I can eat?

You never know what will happen.

🧠 But over time, you become more instinctive.

🌊 You learn to go with the flow.

✨ It makes you more comfortable being yourself and helps you discover who you are.

There is also no single way to travel solo.

🧭 Everyone has their own story.

For me, solo travel means staying somewhere long enough to understand the place.

🏪 Even if I go to a local 7-Eleven, I want the cashier to know me.

🌏 That’s how I travel.

And even now, when I’m traveling for business, I try to take a few days off to travel alone, stay in hostels, and meet new people.

🤝 It’s an amazing experience.

🇸🇬 How can travelers experience Southeast Asia through solo travel?

🎙️ Rheza:
I can really relate to that.

🇸🇬 I had my own first solo trip to Singapore in 2014.

🤝 I met Malaysian travelers who were there to attend a concert by Taking Back Sunday—one of my favorite bands.

🎶 I changed my plans and watched the concert with them.

✨ It became an unforgettable experience.

🌌 So hopefully, other Southeast Asians and travelers from beyond the region can experience something similar—whether it’s meeting strangers, discovering local food, or even simply gazing at the stars.

💬 Prajit:
Exactly.

🌌 You never know what kind of experiences you can have when you travel slowly, travel solo, and allow yourself to take unplanned trips.

💡 How can Southeast Asian businesses fill the gaps in the travel industry?

🎙️ Rheza:
How could business founders in Southeast Asia help fill the gaps and improve the travel experience in the region?

💬 Prajit:
I think the biggest challenge solo travelers face—especially first-time travelers—is trust.

🔐 You don’t automatically know whether you can trust a new country, a new region, or people who don’t speak your language.

💡 I think there are many products that could be built to make travelers feel safe, comfortable, and confident.

🗺️ For example, when you arrive somewhere and don’t speak the local language, it can be difficult to navigate.

📍 What if you can’t find directions?

🚌 How do you get from the airport to your hostel?

📱 What happens if Google Maps isn’t available?

😰 These things can become scary.

That’s where businesses can help.

🏠 Hostels themselves are an example.

Zostel was created because we knew young people wanted to travel but didn’t have a lot of money.

💰 Hotels weren’t necessarily built for them.

🏠 So hostels provided an affordable way to travel while still creating opportunities for experiences and social connections.

🤝 You can stay in a room with strangers and still feel safe.

📱 It could be a hostel like Zostel.

🤖 It could be an AI-powered app that translates conversations and helps travelers communicate with locals.

💳 Another major issue is payments.

🌏 Across Southeast Asia, card acceptance can still be limited in some places, meaning travelers have to carry cash.

🏧 And withdrawing money from ATMs can come with additional fees.

🇮🇩 Where should Zostel expand in Indonesia?

💬 Prajit:
Actually, I have one question for you.

🇮🇩 If Zostel were to expand into Indonesia, where would you recommend?

🌴 Apart from the usual tourist destinations like Bali and Jakarta, where should we go to build new destinations and help people experience the real Indonesia?

🎙️ Rheza:
That’s a million-dollar question! 😄

🇮🇩 But I think Zostel could expand in Indonesia by exploring the country’s diversity through places like:

🏛️ Yogyakarta

🏞️ Bandung

Both are located on Java Island, separate from Bali, and offer travelers a different kind of experience.

🎎 They offer strong traditional cultures and more opportunities to experience Indonesia’s local character.

✨ Travelers could discover a sense of originality and authenticity that goes beyond the usual tourist destinations.

🌏 So, let’s see when Zostel will come to Indonesia!

🤝 Would Zostel consider working with local Indonesian partners?

💬 Prajit:
Hopefully, soon!

🤝 We love working with local partners who understand the vision.

🎙️ Rheza:
Thank you so much, Prajit.

🙏 It’s been a fruitful conversation.

I hope we can meet offline and continue the conversation sometime soon.

💬 Prajit:
Definitely.

It was great to meet you, Rheza.

Thank you so much for your time.

🎙️ The Wrap

🌏 So, the next time you think about traveling across Southeast Asia...

🏝️ Don’t just think about the destinations.

🎒 Think about the experiences that happen between the destinations.

🤝 The stranger who becomes a travel companion.

🍜 The local meal you would never have ordered on your own.

🌌 Or simply a night spent looking up at the stars...

✨ Because sometimes, the best travel experiences are the ones you never planned.

🎙️ I’m Rheza Ardiansyah, and this has been The Southeast Asia Desk Weekly Dispatch Podcast, where we slow down the noise and follow the region’s compass. 🧭🌏

📬 If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to our newsletter at thesoutheastasiadesk.com, and join us again next weekend for stories to linger over—one weekend at a time. ✨

The Eurovision phenomenon is finally conquering the East. 🌏 After a decade of geopolitical hitches, licensing stalls, and a cancelled Australian-led attempt, the inaugural Eurovision Song Contest Asia is set for 14 November 2026 at Bangkok’s IdeaLive Arena. 🇹🇭

Organized by Voxovation under an EBU licence, partnering with Thailand’s Channel 3 and S2O Productions, this live competition adapts the iconic European format for a massive, digital-first Asian demographic. 📱 To win, delegates must navigate a strict 50/50 voting split between professional juries and international public voting 🗳️ across participating nations and the “Rest of the World.” 🌍

🔍 Why It’s on Our Radar

• 🕰️ A long-awaited revival: The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) originally licensed the format to Australia’s SBS in 2016, but geopolitical friction and pandemic delays scuppered those plans.

• 🤝 The new power players: Production rights sit with Voxovation (headed by former Eurovision producer Christer Björkman), alongside Thai event giants S2O Productions and host broadcaster Channel 3.

• 🎤 Auditions in full swing: Broadcasters across a 10-country lineup—South Korea 🇰🇷, the Philippines 🇵🇭, Thailand 🇹🇭, Vietnam 🇻🇳, Malaysia 🇲🇾, Laos 🇱🇦, Nepal 🇳🇵, Bangladesh 🇧🇩, Cambodia 🇰🇭, and Bhutan 🇧🇹—are holding televised selections through September.

• 🇧🇹 Bhutan leads the pack: On 11 August 2026, Bhutan locked in the first delegate: 24-year-old Nyendra singing “Lhayi Semo.”

• 🗓️ Upcoming selection dates: Malaysia (15 August), Philippines (30 August), South Korea (4 September), Nepal (19 September), Laos (23–24 September), Thailand (27 September), and Bangladesh (30 September).

• 🤫 Host reveal pending: Live host details are under wraps until late September. Industry expectations point to a hybrid pair: top Thai broadcast talent alongside an English-fluent international co-host.

  ---

⚖️ What’s at Stake

• 🏛️ Cultural soft power: Participating nations gain a platform with potential global viewings in the hundreds of millions.

• 🌟 The K-pop factor: South Korea’s involvement elevates the stakes, forcing regional industries to bring arena-grade production values to remain competitive.

• 🏆 Format credibility: Voxovation needs a flawless Asian rollout to prove the Eurovision model translates outside Europe following the cancellation of the American Song Contest.

  ---

🌏 The Big Picture

Asia represents over half the global population and houses the world’s fastest-growing music streaming markets. 🎧 Bridging regional sectors creates an unprecedented cross-border media network. 🌐

• 🇪🇺 1956: Europe launches the original contest.

• 🇦🇺 2015: Australia joins the European broadcast as a guest competitor.

• 🇹🇭 2026: Asia formally launches its own regional edition in Bangkok.

  ---

🏠 Why This Hits Home

• 🪕 Pan-Asian representation: Fans get a rare, non-Western stage where local languages, native instruments, and regional pop tropes compete on equal terms.

• 📲 Direct viewer influence: International audiences outside participating nations can cast votes via official streams under a unified “Rest of the World” block.

  ---

🗺️ The Regional Stakes

• 🌴 Southeast Asia (Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam): Banking on massive home advantage and social media fanbases. The Challenge: Translating local digital engagement into cross-border jury votes. 📉

• 🏙️ East Asia (South Korea): Reinforcing international music dominance. The Challenge: Avoiding voter backlash against overly commercialized entries. 💸

• 🏔️ South Asia (Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal): Introducing distinct cultural heritage to global pop audiences. The Challenge: Competing with multi-million-dollar production budgets from larger markets. 💰

  ---

💡 Unique Bits You Might Not Know

• ✈️ A ticket to Europe: The winner of Eurovision Asia 2026 performs as a featured interval act at the main Eurovision Song Contest 2027 in Europe.

• ⏰ The 11-time zone hurdle: Australia’s SBS abandoned the original concept largely due to the logistical nightmare of synchronizing live prime-time broadcasts across 11 distinct time zones.

• ⏱️ Strict 3-minute rule: Every song must stay under 3 minutes with no more than six performers on stage—strictly mirroring the European code. 👯‍♂️

  ---

🏁 The Bottom Line

Nations are picking their champions now. ⚔️ With Bhutan already secured and selection shows running through September, the stage is set for Bangkok on 14 November 2026. 🎆

(NZL/ARS)

Your curated wrap-up from The Southeast Asia Desk.

Hello and welcome back,

This week, Southeast Asia demonstrates its knack for turning challenges into opportunities and everyday life into art.

The region is tackling its mounting waste crisis by transforming it into energy, celebrating its 59th year of unity with a renewed focus on youth and security, and exporting its vibrant street culture to global stages.

From the roar of engines and crowds at Singapore’s National Day Parade to the quiet competition of koi breeders, these stories reveal a region moving forward with creativity and conviction.

♻️ Can Southeast Asia turn its waste crisis into an energy opportunity?

The Middle East crisis has exposed Southeast Asia’s vulnerability to fossil fuel supply shocks, with the IEA reporting that 60% of the region’s crude oil and a third of its gas imports came from the Middle East before the conflict. In response, governments are investing in renewable energy, including waste-to-energy projects across the region.

Read more:
https://www.thesoutheastasiadesk.com/p/southeast-asia-waste-to-energy

🇹🇭 Thai PM’s ASEAN visit: Three priorities to shape Southeast Asia’s future

On 4 August, PM Anutin became the first Thai Prime Minister to visit the ASEAN Secretariat in 17 years. During the meeting with Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening ASEAN unity and cooperation amid complex challenges.

Read more:
https://www.thesoutheastasiadesk.com/p/thai-pm-anutin-visit-asean-headquarters-indonesia

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🇸🇬 NDP 2026 returns to the National Stadium as Singapore celebrates 61 years of independence

Under the theme “Majulah Singapura, Go Beyond!”, the National Day Parade returned to the National Stadium at Kallang for the first time in a decade on 9 August 2026. Approximately 42,000 spectators filled the stadium, while thousands more gathered around the Kallang Basin.

Read more:
https://www.thesoutheastasiadesk.com/p/singapore-ndp-2026-national-day

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🌏 Navigating a contested world: Inside the 59th ASEAN Day celebration

On 8 August, regional leaders and partners gathered in Jakarta to celebrate the bloc’s founding, commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC), and welcome Timor-Leste as its 11th member. The event also highlighted ASEAN’s growing diplomatic engagement, with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand attending an ASEAN Day celebration in Ottawa for the first time.

Read more:
https://www.thesoutheastasiadesk.com/p/59th-asean-day-anniversary-neutrality-centrality

🐝 Queens of MLBB: How Team Vitality conquered Paris and secured back-to-back MWI Glory

On 18 July, Team Vitality defeated Natus Vincere PH 4–2 in the Grand Final of the MLBB Women’s Invitational (MWI) at the Esports World Cup. The Indonesian team, playing in front of their organisation’s home crowd in Paris, secured its fourth MWI title and an additional 1,000 Club Championship points.

Read more:
https://www.thesoutheastasiadesk.com/p/team-vitality-wins-mlbb-womens-invitational-2026-mwi

🎙️ The Dispatch Podcast:

🍵 Tea in Southeast Asia — A story in every cup

From the indigenous tea plants of Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam to the iconic brews of Indonesia, Malaysia, and beyond, the episode traces how tea arrived and became embedded in local culture. It explores the ceremonial Patehan in Yogyakarta, the history of Thai milk tea, the pulled-tea tradition of Malaysia (Teh Tarik), and even Myanmar’s famous lahpet, a fermented tea-leaf salad.

Listen here:
https://www.thesoutheastasiadesk.com/p/tea-in-southeast-asia-a-story-in

🛋️ Weekend Brew:

🚌 “Get on the Angkot”: no na’s “honk!” puts Indonesian street culture on the world stage

Indonesian girl group no na released “honk!” on 31 July, a single that samples the “Om Telolet Om” bus horn trend and celebrates the everyday angkot. The track, which features Rich Brian on background vocals, has already amassed over 3.7 million YouTube views. The rollout is a test of whether hyper-local, untranslated references (a bus horn, plastic chairs outside a warung) can resonate globally without being diluted. “It doesn’t ask permission to be understood, it just trusts the reference to land,” our analysis reads.

Read more:
https://www.thesoutheastasiadesk.com/p/get-on-the-angkot-no-nas-honk-is

🌏 From passion to competition: Southeast Asia in the global koi Industry

Southeast Asian breeders and collectors are challenging Japan’s historic dominance in the competitive koi industry. A structural shift is underway as regional participants are now consistently winning major global awards, driven by improved visibility, logistics, genetics, and investment. The region’s warm climate provides a significant competitive edge, enabling year-round growth and eliminating winter stress.

Read more:
https://www.thesoutheastasiadesk.com/p/southeast-asia-koi

✍️ Closing Note

This week’s stories reveal a region in motion—tackling structural challenges with ingenuity, celebrating its identity with pride, and exporting its creativity to the world.

From waste-to-energy projects to the roar of the crowd at a national parade, from the strategic vision of its leaders to the rhythm of a pop song built on the sound of a bus horn, Southeast Asia is showing that its future will be shaped by its ability to adapt, create, and connect.

Thank you for reading.

✨ Stories to linger over, one week at a time.

#SoutheastAsia #ASEAN #WasteToEnergy #RenewableEnergy #ThaiPM #ASEANDay #NDP2026 #SingaporeNationalDay #TeamVitality #MWI2026 #MLBB #Esports #no_na #Honk #Koi #TeaCulture #WeeklyWrap

(ELS/QOB)

🎯 The Main Takeaway

Indonesia's airline commercial corporation, TransNusa Aviation Mandiri, has officially launched its inaugural international route between Jakarta and Bangkok as of August 6, 2026.

The airline now operates twice-daily direct flights to Suvarnabhumi Airport, marking a major milestone in its expansion strategy and ASEAN regional connectivity.

The opening of this international route has expanded Transnusa’s operational network in the Asia-Pacific region to include Singapore, Malaysia, China, Australia and Thailand.

This opportunity would provide ever-stronger connectivity between Indonesia and the Asia-Pacific region, whilst opening up more opportunities for growth in tourism, trade, investment and inter-country relations.

📡 Why it Matters

This expansion is a critical component of the Indonesia–Thailand Strategic Partnership Roadmap 2026–2030, which aims to hit a US$20 billion bilateral trade target by 2030.

However, this step could also be a significant milestone for bilateral and regional advantage:

• This expansion marks a pivotal moment for regional integration under the ASEAN Open Skies agreement, which has liberalised air travel between member nations and reduced average fares by 40% since 2010.

• The move aligns with a 7.3% Asia-Pacific passenger traffic growth forecast for 2026, supported by an ASEAN middle class projected to reach 200 million people by 2030

• From Thailand's side, the move directly targets high-value tourism segments, which are central to Thailand’s goal of attracting 890,000 Indonesian visitors this year.

• From an Indonesian perspective, Thailand is classified as a “Star” market, having shown a 71% increase in its contribution to Indonesia's tourism revenue in 2024 alone.

“The inaugural Jakarta–Bangkok flight marks a significant milestone in Transnusa’s journey. For the first time, we are offering twice-daily flights to Thailand from Jakarta to Bangkok. The introduction of this route not only strengthens connectivity between Indonesia and Thailand but also opens up wider access to the international flight network via Bangkok as one of the region’s key hubs,” said Datuk Bernard Francis, Transnusa’s Group Chief Executive Officer.

🛫 Southeast Asia Airline Potential Markets

Asia Pacific is known as the busiest region for airlines, with 33.5% of the world's air passenger market and 12.1% of regional traffic growth by cabin class, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Furthermore, Airbus also forecasted that Southeast Asia would account for 20% of global traffic in 2040.

Recently, several Southeast Asian countries (Led by Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia, which account for the region’s largest share of growth) were among the top 50 countries by airline passenger numbers, and their growth potential would increase significantly in the future.

Especially Indonesia and Thailand, which are expected to be the most emerging markets in Asia Pacific and enter the Top 10 in 2042, according to Airports Council International.

More on that: ASEAN countries themselves account for the largest share of international arrivals in the region, rising from 37% in 2019 to 45% in 2024.

🏁 The Bottom Line

Transnusa’s Jakarta–Bangkok route marks more than an expansion of its international network; it strengthens Indonesia–Thailand connectivity and supports broader ASEAN regional integration.

With growing air passenger demand, rising tourism potential, and the ASEAN Open Skies framework, the route creates opportunities for tourism, trade, investment, and people-to-people relations.

As Indonesia and Thailand emerge as key aviation markets in the Asia-Pacific, Transnusa’s expansion positions the airline to benefit from the region’s long-term growth in connectivity and economic integration.

Need More Angles

Airports Council International Joint ACI World-ICAO Passenger Traffic Report, Trends, and Outlook

Antara Indonesia-Thailand ties gain momentum with US$20B trade target by 2030

International Air Transport Association (IATA) Air Passenger Market Analysis

International Air Transport Association (IATA) Global Outlook Trade, AI, and the Energy Transition​

Official Airline Guide (OAG) Intra-ASEAN Travel: A Constant Amid Global Turmoil

Safe Fly Aviation Why Southeast Asia Is One of the Fastest Growing Aviation Markets

World Population Review Airline Passengers by Country 2026

(ADE/QOB)

🎯 The Main Takeaway

The Middle East crisis that began in March 2026 has exposed Southeast Asia’s vulnerability to fossil fuel supply shocks. According to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) energy outlook for Southeast Asia in 2026, 60% of the region’s crude oil and a third of its gas imports came from the Middle East before the crisis.

Governments have responded with subsidies and cooperation agreements to cushion the impact of rising prices on households and firms. But these measures create their own problems. Southeast Asia’s energy import bill could rise to US$245 billion by 2035, up from US$80 billion in 2024—without addressing the underlying issue of import dependence.

The result is a race toward renewable energy that promises both energy security and environmental sustainability. Across the region, initiatives are emerging: nuclear and solar power, wind energy, hydropower in Laos, and waste-to-energy projects in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, and Vietnam.

📡 Why It’s on Our Radar

Waste-to-energy has become one of the region’s most popular approaches to tackling two major issues at once. As renewable energy demand surges, governments are investing in projects that can reduce waste while generating power—particularly attractive for densely populated urban centres in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The Bali waste-to-energy project, launched on 8 July 2026 by Danantara Investment Management, is one of Indonesia’s flagship programmes. Malaysia’s Malakoff launched the Sungai Udang plant on 2 April 2026. Thailand’s On Nut plant achieved first synchronization on 10 April 2026. Singapore expanded the Tuas South Incineration Plant on 19 March 2026. And in Vietnam, a new plant in Hung Yen province was announced on 6 March 2026.

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⚠️ Why It’s Important

The waste crisis is urgent. According to Greenpeace in 2026, six out of ten ASEAN countries generate 31 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, harming health and disrupting economic sectors. Waste-to-energy, if done correctly, can help address both the energy and waste crises.

But experts warn of risks. 8mSolar, a renewable energy construction firm, cautions that improper management can further degrade the environment and increase pollution. Emissions from waste-to-energy facilities—including nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide—require proper emission controls and residue management to minimise environmental harm.

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🇮🇩 Indonesia: Bali Waste-to-Energy Project

On 8 July 2026, Danantara Investment Management (DIM) began construction on a waste-to-energy power plant in Denpasar, Bali. The facility will process more than 500,000 tonnes of waste annually with an investment of IDR 3 trillion (roughly US$184 million), built through Danantara in partnership with China’s Weming Group.

Officials said Bali was chosen to help preserve the island’s tourism economy. The plant is expected to be completed by late 2027.

🇲🇾 Malaysia: Sungai Udang Plant

On 2 April 2026, Malakoff—Malaysia’s largest independent power producer—announced the launch of the Sungai Udang plant as part of the country’s integrated waste management strategy. The move was supported by the Chief Minister of Malacca and the Minister of Housing and Local Government.

The plant is designed to process 1,056 tonnes of municipal solid waste daily and generate 22 MW of gross renewable energy.

🇹🇭 Thailand: On Nut Plant

On 10 April 2026, the managing director of New Sky Energy (Bangkok) announced that the On Nut plant had achieved first synchronization. The facility can process 1,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste daily.

The plant is set to become operational on 14 November 2026 and is expected to generate 35 MW of electricity per month.

🇸🇬 Singapore: Tuas South Incineration Plant Expansion

On 19 March 2026, Singapore’s National Environment Agency (NEA) contracted an upgrade for the Tuas South Incineration Plant (TSIP)—the city-state’s second-largest waste-to-energy facility—to extend its operation until 2035.

The upgrade, valued at approximately SGD 890 million, will enable the plant to incinerate 3,000 tonnes of waste daily and treat high-calorific waste, safeguarding reliability over the next decade.

🇻🇳 Vietnam: Hung Yen Plant

On 6 March 2026, the northern province of Hung Yen announced a new waste-to-energy plant covering seven hectares in Doan Dao commune. The plant will treat 1,600 tonnes of waste daily and generate 40 MW of electricity, invested by China’s CNTY-EUZY Group through Thien Y-Huy Anh Environment Energy JSC.

Hung Yen province has a population of about 3.5 million, generating an estimated 3,000 tonnes of waste daily from households and businesses. The plant is expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2027.

🏠 Why This Hits Home

For Southeast Asian households, waste-to-energy projects represent a shift in how cities manage daily life. In densely populated urban centres, waste collection and disposal are persistent challenges. These plants promise to turn a local problem—overflowing landfills and plastic pollution—into a local solution: electricity that powers homes and businesses.

But the risks are equally local. Communities near waste-to-energy plants have expressed concerns about emissions, air quality, and health impacts. Without transparent regulation, rigorous monitoring, and genuine community consultation, these projects risk repeating the environmental injustices that have accompanied industrial development elsewhere.

🏁 Bottom Line

Waste-to-energy initiatives present a potential solution to two of Southeast Asia’s most pressing problems: energy dependence and waste pollution. But they are not without risks. The emissions and residue from these plants require careful management. Without proper safeguards, the cure could be worse than the disease.

#WasteToEnergy #RenewableEnergy #SoutheastAsia #EnergyTransition #PlasticWaste #CircularEconomy #GreenEnergy #ASEAN #Sustainability #CleanEnergy #WasteManagement #Indonesia #Malaysia #Singapore #Thailand #Vietnam

Need More Angles

• International Energy Agency Southeast Asia Energy Outlook 2026

• Greenpeace Confronting the Plastic and Waste Crises in Southeast Asia: Systemic Drivers, Impacts, and Policy Imperatives

(FRD/ELS)

🎯 The Main Takeaway

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul paid a two-day official visit to Indonesia on 3–4 August. During his visit, he met ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn at the ASEAN Headquarters in Jakarta on 4 August.

The visit marked a historic milestone, as Anutin became the first Thai Prime Minister to visit the ASEAN Headquarters in 17 years, following Abhisit Vejjajiva’s visit in 2009.

The two leaders exchanged views on regional and global developments and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening ASEAN unity and enhancing regional co-operation to promote peace, stability, resilience, and prosperity in the face of current and future challenges.

📡 Why It’s on Our Radar?

Thailand has played a significant role in ASEAN since its founding, including:

• Founding Member: Thailand, alongside Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore, established ASEAN by signing the ASEAN Declaration in Bangkok on 8 August 1967.

• Free Trade Initiator: Thailand proposed the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) in 1991, which came into force in 1993. The initiative aims to reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers, increase intra-ASEAN trade, enhance competitiveness, and deepen regional economic integration.

• Regional Forum Pioneer: Thailand hosted the first ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Bangkok in 1994. The forum promotes dialogue on political and security issues, builds confidence among participating countries, and supports preventive diplomacy across the Asia-Pacific.

• Human Rights Champion: Thailand hosted the establishment of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) during the 15th ASEAN Summit in October 2009. The commission promotes and protects human rights across ASEAN, with particular attention to women, children, persons with disabilities, and older persons.

Since then, Thailand has remained a key contributor to ASEAN’s development, advancing regional connectivity, deepening economic integration, promoting sustainable development, and supporting initiatives that foster a more inclusive, resilient, and people-centred ASEAN Community.

⚠️ The Bilateral Meeting

The two leaders also discussed several key regional issues, including:

• Myanmar Crisis: Political instability has persisted since the 2021 military coup, more than 100,000 people killed and millions displaced. General elections were held in late 2025, Min Aung Hlaing was elected President on 3 April 2026

• Thailand–Cambodia Border Issue: Border clashes in July and December 2025 ended with a ceasefire agreement on 27 December 2025. The ASEAN Observer Team (AOT) is overseeing the implementation of the ceasefire.

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s visit to the ASEAN Headquarters is expected to reinforce regional co-operation in addressing these challenges while promoting peace, economic resilience, and ASEAN unity.

🇲🇲 Myanmar Crisis

According to Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Thailand has advocated a calibrated re-engagement approach that keeps dialogue open, responds to the realities on the ground, and encourages tangible progress towards resolving the crisis.

He also reaffirmed that ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus remains the bloc’s primary framework for addressing the conflict and achieving lasting peace, stability, and national reconciliation in Myanmar.

The approach has shown encouraging progress. On 3 August, Arnaud de Baecque of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) met detained former Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Naypyidaw for the first time since 2021. He checked her health, spoke with her in private, and gathered information to share with her family.

🇹🇭🇰🇭 Thailand-Cambodia Border Issue

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul held a trilateral meeting with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in his capacity as ASEAN Chair, on the sidelines of the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, Philippines, on 7 May.

During the meeting, Thailand and Cambodia agreed to open a new chapter in their bilateral relations by rebuilding mutual trust and confidence, after months of border tensions.

The two countries also tasked their foreign ministers with continuing bilateral talks to resolve overlapping territorial claims, prevent further escalation, and safeguard the well-being of their people.

🚀 Moving Forward…

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul urged ASEAN to focus on three key priorities as the region faces growing geopolitical and economic challenges:

• Strengthen Regional Unity: ASEAN must preserve its unity and centrality while adopting a more flexible and pragmatic approach to addressing regional challenges through consensus and co-operation.

• Build Greater Resilience: ASEAN must deepen partnerships with middle powers and countries of the Global South to diversify co-operation, reduce overdependence, strengthen supply chains, and enhance resilience in energy, food security, digital connectivity, and technology.

• Ensure ASEAN’s Relevance: ASEAN must remain a trusted platform for constructive and mutually beneficial co-operation by tackling cross-border threats such as cybercrime, online scams, and human trafficking, while equipping young people with future-ready skills, and strengthening ASEAN institutions to translate commitments into action.

Together, these priorities are expected to keep ASEAN as a driving force for peace, stability, and prosperity in Southeast Asia, while reinforcing its role as a leading regional organisation and a credible partner in the global community.

🤝 In Addition…

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul also held a bilateral meeting with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on 3 August.

The visit marked another historic milestone, as Anutin became the first Thai Prime Minister to visit Indonesia in 15 years, following Yingluck Shinawatra’s visit in 2011.

The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening Thailand–Indonesia co-operation across key sectors, including trade, investment, energy, connectivity, food security, and the halal industry.

💡 The Result…

Several co-operation agreements were reached following the meeting across the following sectors:

• Defence and Security: Both countries agreed to strengthen co-operation in combating online scams, human trafficking, and drug trafficking. Thailand has helped repatriate around 1,000 Indonesians from scam centres, with another 500 currently awaiting repatriation. The two sides also agreed to expand intelligence sharing and enhance joint law enforcement.

• Trade and Economy: Thailand agreed to increase bilateral trade to USD 20 billion by 2030 through the Indonesia–Thailand Strategic Partnership Roadmap 2026–2030. The roadmap aims to expand market access, boost investment, reduce trade barriers, and establish a Joint Trade Committee.

• Energy Security: Indonesia and Thailand agreed to strengthen energy resilience through the Indonesia–Thailand Energy Forum and accelerate the transition to sustainable energy through closer collaboration between the public and private sectors, including the development of a regional power grid.

• Food Security: Both countries agreed to strengthen supply chain resilience, improve logistics connectivity, and expand co-operation in agricultural technology and food processing.

• Digital Economy: Both sides agreed to expand the Local Currency Transaction (LCT) framework for cross-border trade and investment to improve transaction efficiency and reduce exchange rate volatility.

• Halal Industry: Indonesia and Thailand agreed to deepen co-operation in the halal industry by developing integrated halal supply chains for regional and global markets.

• Connectivity: Both countries agreed to enhance connectivity by launching new flight routes between Bangkok and Jakarta and Phuket and Denpasar, with the aim of boosting tourism and business exchanges.

🧭 Beyond the Headlines

Thailand and Indonesia have maintained diplomatic relations for 76 years, with Thailand becoming one of Indonesia’s key economic partners and its fourth-largest trading partner.

Reflecting the close ties between the two countries, President Prabowo Subianto appointed former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra as a member of the Advisory Board of Indonesia’s sovereign wealth fund, Danantara, in March 2025.

The strong relationship was further underscored when Thaksin and his family, including former Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, visited Prabowo’s residence in Kertanegara, Jakarta, on 8 July to exchange views on regional and global developments.

A day later, Thaksin Shinawatra, Yingluck Shinawatra, and Paetongtarn Shinawatra met President Prabowo Subianto and Danantara officials in Jakarta to discuss ways to attract greater international investment, strengthen asset management, and support Indonesia’s long-term economic growth.

📌 The Bottom Line

Thailand is not just one of ASEAN’s founding members, but also a key contributor to the bloc’s growth. From promoting free trade and regional dialogue to advancing human rights, Thailand has helped shape ASEAN into a stronger and more connected community.

Today, Thailand is not just responding to regional challenges, but also helping ASEAN strengthen its unity, resilience, and co-operation. Through closer partnerships, Thailand aims to promote peace, stability, and sustainable development across Southeast Asia.

Looking ahead, Thailand’s role is not just to address today’s challenges, but to help build a more integrated, resilient, and people-centred ASEAN. By working closely with fellow member states, Thailand aims to ensure ASEAN remains a driving force for peace, stability, and prosperity across the region.

🔎 Need More Angles?

ASEAN Regional Forum About ARF

ASEAN Secretariat About ASEAN

ASEAN Secretariat ASEAN Chair’s Statement on the Meeting of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi with a Delegate from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

ASEAN Secretariat Major Sectoral Bodies/Committees

BPMI Setpres Seskab Teddy: Pertemuan Presiden Prabowo dengan Tiga Mantan PM Thailand Perkuat Jejaring Persahabatan Internasional

ICRC A delegate from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) visited Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on 3 August 2026

Kementerian Sekretariat Negara Pertemuan Hangat Presiden Prabowo dan Thaksin di Kertanegara, Bahas Dinamika Kawasan hingga Isu Global

(NGO/JUN/QOB)

🎯 The Main Takeaway

Singapore celebrated its 61st National Day on 9 August 2026 with the National Day Parade (NDP) returning to the National Stadium at Kallang for the first time in a decade.

Under the theme “Majulah Singapura, Go Beyond!”, the parade featured a first-ever indoor drone light show, the largest civilian participation segment in more than a decade, and the first inclusive contingent of persons with disabilities.

Around 42,000 spectators filled the stadium, while thousands more gathered around the Kallang Basin to watch the fireworks.

The celebration also marked the first time the Presidential Gun Salute and State Flag Flypast were conducted at Kallang Basin, extending the parade beyond the stadium.

The spectacle was impressive. But beneath the carefully choreographed display of national unity, questions lingered about what kind of Singapore the parade was celebrating—and who was being left out.

📡 Why It’s on Our Radar

The return to the National Stadium after a decade allowed for a significantly larger scale than previous editions held at the Padang or the Floating Platform. The fully sheltered venue also ensured the celebration could proceed regardless of weather.

NDP 2026 was Singapore’s most inclusive parade to date. For the first time, a contingent of persons with disabilities, led by former para-athlete Yap Qian Yin, marched alongside other contingents. The show segment also featured dancers with autism and Down Syndrome.

Record-breaking civilian participation saw 26 civilian contingents—comprising more than 1,200 participants—marching through the spectator aisles and forming the words “GO BEYOND!” using red and white umbrellas. This marked the largest civilian turnout in over a decade.

But inclusivity had its limits. While the parade welcomed citizens with disabilities and civilian volunteers, it remained a highly controlled, state-directed event. Participation was, in essence, by invitation only—a curated performance of unity rather than a genuine expression of diversity.

🎆 What Made NDP 2026 Different

While traditional elements returned—including the Guard-of-Honour, feu-de-joie, and combined military band—several changes set this edition apart:

• First-ever indoor drone light show: Hundreds of drones flew inside the National Stadium as part of a multimedia performance combining aerial displays, projections, and special effects.

• Largest indoor special effects production in NDP history.

• The Presidential Gun Salute and State Flag Flypast took place at Kallang Basin for the first time, bringing the experience closer to thousands of spectators outside the stadium.

• The Red Lions parachute display, mobile column, and full aerial display were absent due to the indoor venue—a loss of tradition for some long-time viewers.

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👥 Beyond the Parade: Community, Security, and Censorship

The National Day spirit extended far beyond the National Stadium. Families and friends gathered across Kallang Basin, Tanjong Rhu Promenade, and Marina Barrage to watch the fireworks. The Stadium Riverside Walk and Lookout Deck at Kallang Basin were among the most popular public viewing spots.

For many Singaporeans, NDP is a family tradition. One attendee, who arrived at 1 pm to secure a spot, described himself as the “advance party” for eight family members. Others, like a couple who attended the parade 10 years ago, returned with their children to continue their annual tradition.

But even as citizens gathered to celebrate, the government’s controlling instincts were on display elsewhere. Just days before National Day, British trip-hop duo Massive Attack were banned from re-entering Singapore after two members displayed a Palestinian flag at their concert. The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) also rejected the band's future performance applications.

The move was defended by authorities as necessary to preserve racial and religious harmony. Critics, however, saw it as another example of the state’s heavy-handed approach to dissent. The incident underscored an uncomfortable truth about Singapore’s brand of unity: it is enforced, not just cultivated.

Similarly, while the parade celebrated “inclusion,” access was still tightly controlled. Tickets remained scarce and distributed via ballot—a reminder that not everyone gets to participate in the national story, even on National Day.

🇸🇬 PM Wong’s National Day Message: Family Support and Future Readiness

In his National Day Message, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced a major review of government support for families—not just at marriage and parenthood, but throughout life’s journey.

“We are taking a fresh look at issues like the costs of raising children, access to affordable infant care and childcare, and other ways to lighten the load on families.”
— Lawrence Wong, Prime Minister of Singapore

He will share more details at the National Day Rally on 23 August.

PM Wong also addressed global uncertainties—including conflicts, trade barriers, and the Middle East crisis—while reaffirming Singapore’s resilience. Despite the challenges, Singapore’s economy has remained robust, with growth expected to continue.

On technology, he said Singapore will embrace advances “on our own terms”, ensuring they serve people and strengthen communities:

• Making full use of AI to raise productivity and create better jobs

• Investing in skills and training for workers

• Putting in place stronger safeguards to protect children in the digital world

Yet his message also carried implicit criticism of those who might question the government’s approach. “We cannot stand still while others move ahead,” he said, while simultaneously warning that Singapore should not “accept every new technology uncritically.”

🛡️ Security and Logistics

Hosting the NDP at the National Stadium required enhanced security measures due to the larger venue and more entry points. About 60 personnel from multiple agencies monitored CCTV feeds and coordinated security operations.

Key security measures included:

• Crowd flow management using a real-time crowd map called Crowd@NationalStadium

• Stricter bag checks with additional screening for containers of 100ml or more

• AI tools and anti-ramming vehicle barriers were deployed by the police

• Potential MRT station bypasses in case of overcrowding

The security presence was visible and efficient—but also a reminder that the celebration of unity took place under watchful eyes.

🏠 Why This Hits Home

For Singaporeans, NDP is more than a parade — it is a shared expression of national identity. Whether inside the stadium, picnicking by the Kallang Basin, or watching from home, citizens participate in a collective ritual of pride and belonging.

This year’s inclusive contingent sent a powerful message: Singapore is a society where every citizen, regardless of ability, can contribute to the nation’s story.

PM Wong’s focus on family support reflects concerns many Singaporeans feel about the costs of raising children and caring for ageing parents. His promise of stronger digital safeguards also addresses parental anxieties about children’s online safety.

🔮 The Bottom Line

NDP 2026 was a landmark celebration that blended tradition with innovation and inclusivity. The return to the National Stadium allowed for a larger, more spectacular event, while the first-ever indoor drone show and record-breaking special effects demonstrated Singapore’s embrace of technology.

The parade’s unprecedented civilian participation and the inclusion of persons with disabilities signal a more representative, community-focused National Day celebration.

But there was another, more complicated story running alongside the festive imagery. The state’s response to the Massive Attack flag controversy showed that Singapore’s tolerance for dissent has clear limits.

The carefully choreographed unity of the parade exists alongside a legal and political system that does not hesitate to punish those who step outside its boundaries.

As PM Wong himself acknowledged, Singapore is navigating “an uncertain world”—one where openness and control, inclusion and exclusion, are in constant tension.

The NDP celebration captured both sides of that tension: a nation proud of its achievements and genuinely committed to community, yet also deeply wary of the freedoms that might threaten its carefully calibrated order.

“We inherited a Singapore built through the sacrifice, hard work and foresight of those who came before us. Now, it is our turn to build on that legacy and leave behind an even stronger Singapore.”
— Lawrence Wong, Prime Minister of Singapore

#NDP2026 #SingaporeNationalDay #MajulahSingapura #GoBeyond #Singapore61 #NationalStadium #InclusiveSingapore #SingaporeUnity #NDPfireworks

Need More Angles?

CNA Singapore National Day Parade 2026: Crowds ease at National Stadium, no incidents reported

CNA Singapore National Day Parade 2026: Over 2,600 performers, 36 artistes take part in parade

Dollars and Sense 8 Singapore Stocks Marching In National Day Parade (NDP) 2026

Mothership AI-generated NDP banner in Bedok lacks stars & crescent on S’pore flag, CC says seniors created it

Mothership Massive Attack members given warnings, banned from re-entering S’pore after holding up Palestine flag at concert

Strait Times, The NDP 2026: Kallang roars as Singapore celebrates 61st birthday

(ELS/QOB)

🎯 The Main Takeaway

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) marked its 59th anniversary on Saturday, August 8, 2026, at its Jakarta headquarters, bringing together key ministers, ambassadors, and regional partners under the Philippine Chairmanship theme, “Navigating Our Shared Future, Together.”

Amidst a backdrop of strategic competition, climate crises, and supply chain disruptions, the summit delivered a unified message: ASEAN’s culture of dialogue and its strict non-alignment are more vital than ever.

The gathering also marked two historic milestones: celebrating the bloc’s first year as a family of 11 with the full inclusion of Timor-Leste, and commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC).

📡 Why It’s on Our Radar

The geopolitical and environmental crises discussed are not distant threats—they are actively reshaping Southeast Asia’s economic and physical landscape:

• Climate & Economic Disruption: Across the region, communities are facing more frequent floods, droughts, and extreme weather, which directly threaten agriculture and food security while driving up living costs.

• Global Supply Chain Shifts: Conflicts beyond ASEAN borders (such as the situation in the Middle East) are disrupting trade routes, driving up energy prices, and forcing a rapid reshaping of global investments.

• A Youthful Demographic Engine: Almost half of ASEAN’s 700 million people are under the age of thirty. Their future relies on the bloc’s ability to pivot from traditional diplomacy to actionable policies in digital transformation, green jobs, and sustainable development.

🕰️ The Genesis & Evolution: From Cold War Conflicts to a Global Bloc

To understand the weight of the 59th anniversary, one must look back to the region’s turbulent history. “Southeast Asia” first emerged as a military concept during WWII, and unlike Europe (which received the Marshall Plan), the region was left to fund its own postwar recovery.

• The Messy Prelude (1961–1965): Early attempts at regional cooperation failed. The Association of Southeast Asia (ASA) in 1961 and the Maphilindo plan in 1963 fractured due to bitter territorial disputes—most notably Indonesia’s Konfrontasi (confrontation) over the formation of Malaysia and the Philippines’ objections over Sabah.

• The 1967 Breakthrough: Following a leadership change in Indonesia in 1965, the threat of communist expansion in Indochina drove a desire for regional stability and neutrality. On August 8, 1967, five visionary statesmen—Adam Malik (Indonesia), Narciso R. Ramos (Philippines), Tun Abdul Razak (Malaysia), S. Rajaratnam (Singapore), and Thanat Khoman (Thailand)—signed the Bangkok Declaration.

Brokered during a four-day retreat in the coastal town of Bang Saen, this informal, goodwill-driven approach—fondly dubbed “sports-shirt diplomacy”—laid the foundation for the consensus-based “ASEAN Way.” The original logo featured five brown rice sheaves; today, it holds ten, with Timor-Leste realising the vision of a fully united region as the 11th member in October 2025.

Decades of Adaptation: ASEAN’s longevity stems from its ability to continuously innovate its architecture during crises:

• 1971 (Cold War Neutrality): Lobbied by Indonesia and Malaysia, ASEAN declared the region a “Zone of Peace, Freedom, and Neutrality” (ZOPFAN) to urge colonial powers and the U.S. to limit their military footprints.

• 1976 (Post-Vietnam War Pivot): Following the communist triumph in Indochina, heads of state formalised the bloc by adopting the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) and establishing a permanent secretariat in Jakarta.

• 1979–1984 (Security & Global Dialogues): As Vietnam invaded Cambodia in 1978, ASEAN successfully mobilised to diplomatically contain Hanoi. Recognising that security issues required broader frameworks, ASEAN launched the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in 1984 to manage East Asian military transparency and South China Sea tensions.

• 1997 (Asian Financial Crisis): When foreign capital fled the region, ASEAN pivoted economically. It established the ASEAN+3 framework (with China, Japan, and South Korea), which ultimately paved the way for the 2002 ASEAN-China Free Trade Area agreement—creating the blueprint for the world’s largest free trade zones.

⚠️ Key Challenges & Geopolitical Friction

Despite nearly six decades of stability and adaptation, today’s leaders acknowledged several immediate hurdles to ASEAN’s continued success:

• Great Power Rivalry: The region faces immense pressure from external strategic competition. Leaders firmly reiterated that ASEAN will not become an arena for proxy conflicts or “choose sides.”

• The Implementation Gap: While principles of mutual respect and peaceful dispute settlement (enshrined in the TAC) are universally praised, the actual challenge lies in enforcing and translating them into tangible, on-the-ground cooperation.

• Rapid Technological & Environmental Change: The bloc is racing to future-proof itself against the rapid rise of artificial intelligence, energy insecurity, and the urgent need to protect migrant workers and nationals abroad during global crises.

🚀 Key Leaders & Their Delivery Messages

🎙️ Dr. Kao Kim Hourn — Secretary-General of ASEAN

Dr. Kao emphasised that while ASEAN has weathered financial crises and pandemics, its survival depends on remaining relevant to its massive youth population and on implementing the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.

“Whether ASEAN continues to thrive over the next sixty years will depend, in part, on whether this generation sees ASEAN not simply as an institution of governments, officials, and diplomats, but as something that is of value to them in that it creates opportunities in their everyday lives.” — Dr. Kao Kim Hourn

Key takeaways from Dr. Kao’s address:

• A Family of 11: Officially welcomed Timor-Leste, noting that the community is stronger and more inclusive with its active participation.

• Youth Empowerment: Called for expanded cross-border opportunities for young people to learn, work, and shape solutions in sustainability and entrepreneurship.

🎙️ Sugiono — Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Indonesia

Foreign Minister Sugiono framed ASEAN as an enduring architectural anchor born out of conflict, whose primary modern function is to serve as the world’s premier “bridge builder.”

“In a world increasingly shaped by conflicts, strategic rivalry, and fragmentation, ASEAN has remained steady on its course, steady in its purpose, in its solidarity, and in advancing cooperation for the benefit of our peoples.” — Sugiono

Key strategic updates revealed:

• The People’s Metric: Declared that farmers, youth, and migrant workers do not measure ASEAN’s success by signed agreements, but by their ability to put food on the table, find decent work, and live safely.

• Strict Neutrality: Reaffirmed that ASEAN’s side is “the side of our people,” explicitly rejecting any alignment with great power rivalries.

🎙️ Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. — President of the Philippines & ASEAN Chair

Delivering the Chair’s message, President Marcos Jr. highlighted swift, purpose-driven actions taken during the recent 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, focusing on immediate crisis management and long-term resilience.

“These priorities reflect ASEAN’s commitment to cooperation that protects lives, improves livelihoods, and upholds peace, prosperity, and people empowerment... this is why ASEAN centrality matters, it is how we chart our present and our future.” — Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

Key policy priorities outlined:

• Emergency Response: Prioritised energy security, food security, and the safety of ASEAN nationals amidst the Middle East crisis.

• Expanding the TAC: Celebrated the accession of four new high-contracting parties—Sweden, Poland, Romania, and Lithuania—bringing the total to 62 nations committed to regional peace.

🎙️ M. I. Derry Amman — Indonesia Permanent Representative to ASEAN

Ambassador Derry Amman closed the ceremonial addresses by focusing on the legal and diplomatic bedrock of the region: the 50-year-old Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC).

“This 50th anniversary of the TAC must therefore be more than a celebration. It must be a moment of renewal to remind that the principles of the TAC must remain our compass as we work together in partnership and solidarity towards a peaceful, stable, and prosperous ASEAN region.” — M. I. Derry Amman

Actionable frameworks discussed:

• Beyond Ceremonies: Warned that the TAC must remain a “living instrument,” where principles are actively applied rather than just verbally reaffirmed.

• New Modalities of Engagement: Announced new guidelines that encourage non-ASEAN TAC signatories to explore practical, mutually beneficial cooperation.

🏁 The Bottom Line

The 59th ASEAN Day sent a clear signal to both its citizens and the international community: The era of relying solely on historical diplomatic achievements is giving way to a demand for tangible delivery.

• Youth is the New Baseline: Policies must actively benefit the under-30 demographic to maintain institutional legitimacy over the next decades.

• Centrality as a Shield: ASEAN will aggressively maintain its neutrality and centrality, using frameworks like the TAC to manage external geopolitical pressures.

• Action Over Agreements: The ultimate test for Vision 2045 will be regional food/energy security and economic integration that reaches local communities and migrant workers on the ground.

📰 Need More Angle?

The ASEAN Secretariat, The Founding of ASEAN

EBSCO, Association of Southeast Asian Nations Is Formed

(JUN/NGO)

📌The Main Takeaway

Indonesian girl group no na dropped "honk!" on July 31, then gave it its first-ever live performance at Head in the Clouds (HITC) 2026 in Pasadena on August 8. The single leans on two pieces of Indonesian transport culture—the viral "Om Telolet Om" bus horn trend and the everyday angkot—is stands for Angkutan Umum or it means a public transportation by minibus —and it's already at 3.7 million YouTube views, ahead of no na's debut album, Island Girl, out September 18.

👀Why It’s on Our Radar

Because it's not just another comeback single doing the usual K-pop-adjacent playbook. "honk!" got Rich Brian on background vocals, Stephanie Poetri on the writing credits, and a full HITC LA stage moment barely a week after release — all while sampling a meme that only makes sense if you grew up in Indonesia. That's a fast, unusually loud rollout for a group most of the world is only just meeting.

⚖️What’s at Stake

Girl group culture has long been treated as a K-pop-only conversation. What no na is testing here is whether hyper-local, untranslated references — a bus horn meme, a minibus, the plastic chairs outside a neighborhood warung (a small roadside stall) — can travel to a global stage without getting diluted into generic "Asia-core." If it lands, it's a template. If international audiences flatten it into a punchline instead of an homage, that's the risk on the other side.

🖼️The Big Picture

Two different eras of Indonesian transport culture show up in “honk!,” and they’re doing different jobs.

“Om Telolet Om” is the nostalgia hit. Back in 2016, kids in Jepara, Central Java, started standing roadside with paper signs reading “Om Telolet Om” — basically begging intercity bus drivers to hit their signature multi-tone horn. It exploded into a full-blown internet phenomenon, picked up by international DJs and everyone’s timeline at once. no na brings it back through the bus itself: visually, with actual telolet-horn buses on screen, and sonically, as the track’s opening chant.

The angkot is the present-day one. Unlike the horn trend, which lives in “remember when” territory, the angkot hasn’t gone anywhere — it’s still one of the most common ways people get around Indonesian cities right now. In the MV, it’s basically the main character: rows of angkot in candy colors, tricked out with modern touches, each rocking a “NO NA” license plate. It’s baked into the choreography too, and it made it straight into the lyrics — “Get on the angkot!” is the hook.

Why This Hits Home

If you grew up in Indonesia, this era isn't really "aesthetic" — it's memory. The plastic monoblock chairs outside every warung, the bapak-bapak parked behind you not moving an inch, the specific screech of an angkot's sliding door, the sound of a telolet horn passing by — none of it needed explaining to a local audience. That's what makes Esther casually lying across a row of warung chairs, or a group of unbothered bapak-bapak stealing scenes in the background, land as funny and familiar rather than staged.

The Regional Stakes

This isn’t just an Indonesia story— it’s a Southeast Asia one. A group built entirely around unmistakably local references just performed on a major US festival stage days after release, and did it without smoothing the edges off. That matters for a region whose pop acts are still routinely filtered through a K-pop lens by international media. If “honk!” keeps climbing, it’s one more data point that Southeast Asia identity— specific, untranslated, regionally coded— can travel on its own terms, and that the next big girl group wave doesn’t have to come from where everyone’s been looking.

Beyond the Headlines

• Rich Brian confirmed on his Instagram Story that he's the voice behind the "om, telolet, om" background chant, joking he was hired as a "professional om telolet om background vocals.

• Stephanie Poetri (she's Titi DJ's daughter one of Indonesia's most respected pop divas) co-wrote the track with the members — reportedly the hardest part of the session was explaining to non-Indonesian songwriters what an angkot actually is.

• The chorus line “Get on the angkot!” sits next to “Kakak-adek centil like me (ah),” mixing English hooks with untranslated local slang.

• Sonically, the track chops up distorted angkot engine noise and sliding-door screeches into a repetitive, almost hyperpop-leaning percussion line.

• "honk!" is the 8th track on no na's 15-track debut album, Island Girl, out September 18, 2026.

  ---

The Bottom Line

At the end of the day, “honk!” works because it doesn’t ask permission to be understood — it just trusts the reference to land, telolet horn and all. That’s a bet not every group would make on a global stage, and so far, it’s paying off.

Stream “honk!” now, and mark your calendar for Island Girl on September 18. Got your own favorite Indonesian street-culture Easter egg from the MV? Drop it in the comments — we’re keeping a running list.

(VIL/VBD)

🎙️ Opening

🤔 What’s the first thing that comes to mind when we talk about tea?

🙋 I bet some of you would say...

🍵 Matcha.

😄 Well, no surprise.

😂 Matcha this. Matcha that. It’s everywhere.

🇯🇵 This Japanese tea has taken over cafés and social media.

🌏 But Southeast Asia has its own signature teas that are just as worth talking about.

🛋️ So, get comfortable wherever you are.

🫖 We’re about to dive into Southeast Asia’s tea story.

✨ Are you ready?

🎙️ Hello and welcome to The Southeast Asia Desk Weekly Dispatch Podcast. I’m Akasha Viandri. This is where we slow down the headlines and make sense of the stories shaping Southeast Asia.

🍃 Tea Is More Than Just a Drink

🍃 Tea is much more than just a beverage in Southeast Asia.

📜 It’s woven into the region’s history.

🎉 And even some of its important ceremonies.

💡 Before we go any further, there's one thing you should know.

🍵 Every tea you drink, whether it’s black tea, green tea, white tea, or oolong, comes from the very same plant.

🌿 It’s called Camellia sinensis.

🌼 Meanwhile, drinks like chamomile or peppermint aren’t technically tea.

☕ They’re herbal infusions.

🧪 The word infusion simply refers to the process of steeping herbs, flowers, or fruits in hot water.

👀 Now, here’s where it gets interesting.

🗺️ In Southeast Asia, Camellia sinensis is indigenous to Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam

🚢 Elsewhere in the region, tea arrived with migrants, traders, and colonial power.

🇮🇩 Now, let’s dive in, starting with Indonesia.

🇮🇩 Indonesia: From Decoration to Plantation

📍 Tea first arrived in Batavia, the old name for Jakarta, in 1684 during the Dutch colonial period.

😮 Interestingly, it wasn’t grown for drinking.

🌱 It was simply an ornamental plant.

💰 But after seeing China’s, Japan’s, and Taiwan’s success in exporting tea to Europe, the Dutch wanted to build their own tea industry.

🧳 So they sent tea experts to China to learn everything they could about tea cultivation and production.

📍 And the Priangan region of West Java was chosen as the center of cultivation.

👏 Long story short... it worked.

🚢 Plantations expanded beyond West Java to other parts of Java and eventually Sumatra, with tea exported to the Netherlands by 1835.

🍵 Today, Indonesians enjoy tea in countless ways.

🥚 In West Sumatra, there’s Teh Talua, made from tea mixed with egg yolk, sugar, and lime juice.

🍋 In Solo, Central Java, there’s Teh Kampul, a strong sweet tea served with slices of lime.

🎎 Tea is also deeply connected to local traditions.

🏯 In Yogyakarta, the Sultanate preserves a tea ceremony called “Patehan”.

💧 The water is drawn directly from a sacred well before being boiled in a copper kettle over a wood fire.

🪙 Copper is believed to purify the water and ward off misfortune.

🇹🇭 Thailand: From Hot Tea to Thai Tea

🤔 Let’s move on to Thailand.

🇹🇭 The country’s tea story is closely linked to two major influences.

👑 First, royal projects.

🌱 To reduce opium farming in the mountainous north, the Thai royal family encouraged local communities to replace opium crops with more sustainable and legal alternatives, including tea.

🧳 And second, Chinese migration.

📚 Over time, knowledge of tea cultivation and production expanded through the influence of Chinese immigrants who settled in the region.

😄 Here’s a fun fact.

🧋 You know Thai tea, right? So many people love it.

🔥 Originally, Thai people drank their tea hot without sugar.

🥛 Later, Indian tea culture introduced the idea of adding milk.

👍 Thai people adopted it too.

☕ But they still drank it hot.

🔄 Then came a turning point.

🏷️ In 1945, a Thai tea brand called ChaTraMue, founded by Chinese immigrants, changed the game.

🍵 Before that, the company mainly sold Chinese tea, oolong tea, and green tea.

🤷 But those varieties weren’t particularly popular among Thai consumers.

🧊 So they imported red tea and developed Thai Milk Tea and Thai Black Tea, both served over ice.

🏆 That eventually became the benchmark for the Thai tea we know today.

🤤 Now I’m kind of craving a Thai tea.

😂 Tell me I’m not the only one.

🇲🇾 Malaysia: A Cup of Cultural Fusion

🥛 Speaking of tea with milk...

🇲🇾 Malaysia has one of Southeast Asia’s most iconic tea drinks.

🫖 They have Teh Tarik, made with black tea.

🎭 Or, in English, “Pulled Tea.”

💪 And yes, they literally pull the tea.

📖 Its origin is a blend of many stories.

🇨🇳 Black tea first arrived with Chinese migrants during the 1830s.

🥤 The famous pulling technique was later developed by South Indian street vendors after 1850.

🥛 Milk and sugar became popular nearly a century later, toward the end of British colonial rule.

📜 So, basically it’s history in a cup.

💍 Tea also plays an important role in Malaysian customs, including weddings.

❤️ Influenced by Chinese traditions, tea ceremonies symbolize the coming together of two families and a new beginning for the couple.

🌏 And this tradition can also be found in Singapore, Vietnam, and Cambodia.

🇲🇲 Myanmar: Where Tea Is a National Beverage

🇲🇲 Meanwhile, in Myanmar...

🍵 Tea is practically a national beverage.

🍽️ People drink it before meals, during meals, after meals, and whenever guests come over.

🏪 Tea shops are everywhere.

🚶 You’ll find them on street corners, inside neighborhoods, and as standalone stalls.

😮 And locals don’t just drink tea.

🥗 They eat it.

🥬 One of the country’s best-known dishes is “lahpet”, made from fermented tea leaves.

💡 Think of it as a tea leaf salad.

😲 And you know what?

🙏 It is also part of local traditions, where “lahpet” is offered to spirits in the hope of securing good harvests and protecting farms.

🎙️ Closing

🍵 So, that’s more or less the tea stories across the region.

🤔How about you? Have you ever been to a traditional tea ceremony?

😊 Or maybe you’ve tried lahpet?

😄 I haven’t. But it’s definitely on my list now.

💬 Share your tea stories with us in the comments.

🍵 And hopefully, the next time someone hands you a cup of tea...

💭 It’ll make you wonder...

❓ How did it get here?

❤️ Because the history behind every cup is just as rich as the tea itself.

🎙️ I’m Akasha Viandri, and this has been The Southeast Asia Desk Weekly Dispatch Podcast, where we slow down the noise and follow the region’s compass.

📩 If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to our newsletter at thesoutheastasiadesk.com, and join us again next weekend for stories to linger over, one weekend at a time.

🎯 The Main Takeaway

Nishikigoi or the most known and legendary Koi are no longer just ornamental fish. The industry is undergoing a structural power shift as Southeast Asian breeders and collectors aggressively challenge Japan's historic monopoly on the world stage. 🌏

Long dominated by the Japanese monopoly, competitive Koi husbandry is being competed by Southeast Asian breeders and collectors. Resulting in the rising participation and winners of competitions such as the most prestigious “International Koi Show” by Zen Nippon Airinkai.

👀 Why It’s on Our Radar

The industry has escalated from backyard ponds to elite international grading competitions. 🏆 High-grade koi now function like thoroughbred racehorses—high-yield prestige assets commanding hundreds of thousands of dollars based on pedigree, age, and show records. 💰

This surge drives a lucrative secondary economy in Southeast Asia, demanding specialized services:

• 🏗️ High-end pond design and construction

• 💧 Advanced filtration and water technology

• 🩺 Specialized veterinary care

• ✈️ Complex import-export logistics

🐟 Koi Fish in Southeast Asia

While introduced decades ago, the regional market structurally transformed in the 2020s. The drivers:

• 📱 Visibility: Social media broadcasted elite competitions to a wider demographic.

• 📦 Logistics: Improved transport technology slashed international shipping stress.

• 📈 Capital: Rapid regional wealth generation expanded the luxury hobby market.

• 🧬 Genetics: Strategic partnerships unlocked premium Japanese bloodlines.

• 🏢 Standards: Local farms heavily professionalized their breeding operations.

The tipping point hit when Southeast Asian participants stopped merely exhibiting and started consistently winning major global awards. 🏅

🏆 The 61st International Koi Show

This event crystallized Southeast Asia’s growing influence.

Regional competitors didn't just take the giant-fish divisions; they demonstrated excellence across diverse categories and developmental stages, dismantling traditional Japanese strongholds. 💥

🌴 The Tropical Advantage

Southeast Asia’s geography provides a massive competitive edge:

• 🌡️ Consistent, year-round water temperatures.

• 🍽️ Uninterrupted feeding cycles with zero winter dormancy.

• 📈 Accelerated growth potential for young koi.

• 🛡️ Elimination of winter-related physiological stress.

While climate alone doesn’t mint champions, it provides an unmatched foundation. Modern Southeast Asian farms now merge Japanese genetics and filtration tech with tropical growth conditions—a highly effective hybrid approach. 🧬🌴

🎪 Beyond The Show

🏭 Building a Stronger Local Industry

International wins trigger domestic investment. Koi keeping is transitioning into a specialized economic sector, driving aquaculture innovation and job creation. Local contests in Indonesia and Thailand now draw thousands, boosting micro-economies and tourism. 🇮🇩🇹🇭

🌏 International Influence: From Importers to Industry Competitors

Southeast Asia is evolving from one of the world’s largest koi consumers into a premier producer. Cultivating internationally recognized champions makes regional players highly attractive partners for global buyers and traditional Japanese farms. 🤝

💡 The Bottom Line

The next decade will likely be shaped by technology. Better water monitoring, genetic tracking, AI-assisted health detection, automated feeding systems, and improved transportation methods could further narrow the gap between emerging breeders and traditional leaders.

Southeast Asia is evolving from one of the world’s largest koi consumers into a premier producer. Cultivating internationally recognized champions makes regional players highly attractive partners for global buyers and traditional Japanese farms. 🤝

(DEV/ARS)

Need More Angles?

• The 61st International Koi Show Major Award Koi | Zen Nippon Airinkai

Your curated wrap-up from The Southeast Asia Desk.

Hello and welcome back,

This week’s stories reveal a region asserting itself on multiple fronts—through culture, sport, diplomacy, and the battle for information integrity. Southeast Asia is no longer just a consumer of global trends; it is becoming a creator of them, from horror games that export folklore to Hollywood villains who bring pencak silat to the world stage.

Yet alongside these cultural victories come sobering realities: AI-powered cyberattacks are targeting human vulnerabilities, the climate clock is ticking toward 2030, and the geopolitical landscape is shifting as Australia deepens its role as a regional counterweight.

Here is your news in focus:

🤖 Mimecast: AI is rewriting cybersecurity, and humans are becoming the main target

The latest State of Human Risk 2026 report by Mimecast reveals that 65% of surveyed organisations in Singapore and Australia believe an AI-enabled cyberattack is inevitable within the next 12 months, while 60% admit they are not fully prepared to defend against AI-driven threats.

Read more:

https://www.thesoutheastasiadesk.com/p/ai-cybersecurity-human-risk-2026-mimecast-report

📝 ASEAN Media Forum 2026: Why independent journalism matters for the region’s future

The 10th ASEAN Media Forum, held in Manila on 29–30 July, brought together 35 journalists from all 11 member states, including Timor-Leste participants for the first time. ASEAN Secretary-General Dr. Kao Kim Hourn described the media as an “indispensable partner” in connecting regional policies with citizens’ everyday lives.

Read more:

https://www.thesoutheastasiadesk.com/p/asean-media-forum-2026-independent-journalism-ai

🌏 From promises to ground action: Inside the 2026 Indonesia Net-Zero Summit

The Indonesia Net-Zero Summit (INZS) 2026, hosted by FPCI on 1 August, brought together over 60 speakers under the theme “It’s Time to Deliver!” The math is stark: humanity has a remaining carbon budget of only 200 gigatons to stay within 1.5°C—less than five years at current emission rates.

Read more:

https://www.thesoutheastasiadesk.com/p/indonesia-net-zero-summit-2030-carbon-budget

🏸 Tchoukball gains ground in Southeast Asia as Singapore leads regional charge

Singapore’s men’s team won gold and its women’s team took bronze at the Asia Pacific Tchoukball Championships (APTC 2026) on 9 July. The sport, invented in the 1970s by a Swiss biologist, uses a trampoline-like goal post and emphasises safety and inclusivity—mixed-gender and mixed-age participation is possible.

Read more:

https://www.thesoutheastasiadesk.com/p/singapore-tchoukball-gold-bronze-aptc-2026

🇮🇩 Hollywood meets Southeast Asia: Agnez Mo brings Indonesia’s pencak silat to Comic-Con

At San Diego Comic-Con on 26 July, Agnez Mo and Anggun walked out as part of the official panel for “Reacher” Season 4, playing mother-daughter antagonists Lila and Amisha Hoth. What makes this casting significant: Agnez went through the full audition process without shortcuts, and she brought pencak silat—the Indonesian traditional martial art—into her fight choreography.

Read more:

https://www.thesoutheastasiadesk.com/p/hollywood-meets-southeast-asia-agnez

Fines, bans, and viral friction: The cost of bad travel etiquette

Recent incidents, from an exclusionary run club in Bali to disruptive tourists in Bangkok, reveal the fragility and rapid repair of cross-cultural goodwill. Travel is a mutual exchange, not a transaction—adapting to local norms is the highest form of respect.

Read more:

https://www.thesoutheastasiadesk.com/p/cross-cultural-travel-etiquette

🎙️ The Dispatch Podcast: Press Start, If You Dare...

This week’s podcast explores how games like Indonesia’s DreadOut (2.5 million+ downloads), Thailand’s Home Sweet Home, Vietnam’s The Scourge, the Philippines’ Hapunan (200,000+ downloads on Itch.io), and Malaysia’s Yan: Parasomnia are introducing global players to local folklore. Instead of borrowing Western monsters, these games draw from Kuntilanak, Pocong, Pret, and other spirits deeply rooted in regional beliefs.

Listen here:

https://www.thesoutheastasiadesk.com/p/s26e26-press-start-if-you-dare

Regional Lines

🇦🇺🤝 The new geopolitics of Southeast Asia: Why Australia matters more to ASEAN now

In the wake of the Thailand-Cambodia border conflict (2025) and the US-Israel-Iran war (2026), ASEAN faces unprecedented pressure. Australia’s Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with ASEAN (2023), the establishment of the Australia-ASEAN Centre, and the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (2026) signal Canberra’s growing seriousness.

Read more:

https://www.thesoutheastasiadesk.com/p/the-new-geopolitics-of-southeast

✍️ Closing Note

This week’s stories reveal a region in motion—asserting itself through culture, sport, and strategic positioning, while confronting the urgent realities of climate change and cybersecurity threats.

From horror games that export folklore to Hollywood villains who bring pencak silat to the world stage, Southeast Asia is no longer just a consumer of global trends. It is becoming a creator of them. Yet alongside these cultural victories come sobering realities: AI-powered cyberattacks are targeting human vulnerabilities, the climate clock is ticking toward 2030, and the geopolitical landscape is shifting as Australia deepens its role as a regional counterweight.

The region is navigating soft power and hard realities—often at the same time.

Thank you for reading.

✨ Stories to linger over, one week at a time.

(ELS/QOB)

🚀 The Main Takeaway

On July 18, 2026, Team Vitality once again proved why it remains the benchmark of women’s Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, defeating Natus Vincere PH 4–2 in the Grand Final of the MLBB Women’s Invitational (MWI) at the Esports World Cup in Paris.

Women’s esports continues to grow on the global stage, and few teams have embodied that rise better than Team Vitality. In front of a passionate home crowd in Paris, the French organisation once again proved why it remains the benchmark of women’s Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.

After a dominant tournament run, Team Vitality defeated Natus Vincere PH 4–2 in the Grand Final of the MLBB Women’s Invitational (MWI), successfully defending its title and becoming back-to-back champions for the second time in the tournament’s history.

Team Vitality has officially cemented its place among the legends of women’s esports.

By defeating Natus Vincere PH in the Grand Final of the MLBB Women’s Invitational at the Esports World Cup, the team secured its fourth MWI title and successfully defended the championship it won in 2025.

The victory carried extra significance. NaVi PH had eliminated Team Vitality from the competition in 2024, making this year’s triumph not only a title defence but also a long-awaited moment of redemption.

The championship also earned Team Vitality an additional 1,000 Club Championship points, strengthening the organisation’s position in the Esports World Cup Club Championship standings.

👀 Why It’s on Our Radar

Sixteen of the world’s best women’s Mobile Legends teams gathered in Paris with one goal: international glory.

Team Vitality began its campaign dominantly, sweeping both MIBR.LOS and Gen.G Esports 2–0 in the group stage to secure a place in the playoffs.

The momentum continued in the knockout rounds:

• 🐝 Quarterfinals: Team Vitality defeated Team Falcons ID 2–1.

• 🔥 Semifinals: The Bees overcame Geltek Cyber Team 3–1.

• 🏆 Grand Final: Team Vitality defeated Natus Vincere PH 4–2.

Despite facing strong opposition throughout the tournament, Team Vitality displayed exceptional teamwork, composure, and resilience, eventually lifting the trophy in front of its home fans in Paris.

🌐 Meet Team Vitality

Founded in 2013 by Fabien “Neo” Devide (CEO) and Nicolas Maurer (CSO), Team Vitality is a French esports organisation that has grown into one of the most recognisable names in competitive gaming. Over the years, the club has established itself as a benchmark of excellence, fielding top-tier teams across some of the world’s most prestigious esports titles.

Driven by elite international talent, Team Vitality remains focused on competitive success, expanding its global fanbase, and building a sustainable future for esports while nurturing the next generation of professional players.

Today, the organisation is supported by a diverse portfolio of partners, including E.Leclerc, EVNIA (Philips), Nescafé, Unilever, Fulllife, Stake, and Crédit Agricole, and has amassed a global community of more than 10 million fans across social media platforms.

With offices and training facilities spread across multiple regions, Team Vitality is united by one ambition: to become the best esports club in the world.

📍 Team Vitality Around the World

• 🇫🇷 Paris, France — The club’s historic headquarters and central hub, featuring an official store, a cybercafé, and a high-performance training centre located inside the Stade de France.

• 🇩🇪 Berlin, Germany — Team Vitality’s European base, strategically positioned close to some of the continent’s biggest esports competitions.

• 🇮🇩 Jakarta, Indonesia — Located at the heart of Southeast Asia’s rapidly growing mobile esports ecosystem through its partnership with Indonesian esports organisation Bigetron.

🌍 More Than Just Another Trophy

With four MLBB Women’s Invitational titles, Team Vitality has become one of the most successful organisations in women’s esports.

Earlier this year, the roster signed a historic contract extension that will keep the team together under the Team Vitality banner until 2030, ensuring that one of the game’s most dominant lineups remains intact for years to come.

Since entering the women’s MLBB scene in 2024, Team Vitality has not only collected trophies but also helped elevate women’s esports to new heights, representing Southeast Asian talent on one of gaming’s biggest stages.

The 2026 championship is another milestone in a legacy that continues to grow.

“This back-to-back victory for our MLBB players is the culmination of a true success story at the Esports World Cup,” said Danny Engels, Chief International Officer of Team Vitality.

Meanwhile, Ray Ng, Head of Esports Ecosystems at MOONTON Games, emphasised the tournament’s growing international impact: “Our queens have retained their crown, and they have proved, yet again, that they are the world’s leading team.”

❤️ Beyond the Headlines

Team Vitality’s victory is about more than medals and trophies—it’s a symbol of how far women’s esports has come.

What began as a niche competition has evolved into a truly global championship, creating new opportunities for female players and inspiring the next generation of gamers worldwide.

As women’s Mobile Legends continues to expand internationally, Team Vitality has established itself as the standard that every team hopes to reach.

For now, the queens remain on the throne. 🐝👑

📌 The Main Takeaway

Findings from the latest State of Human Risk 2026 by Mimecast show that 65% of surveyed organisations in Singapore and Australia believe an AI-enabled cyberattack is inevitable within the next 12 months, while 60% admit they are not fully prepared to defend against AI-driven threats targeting employees.

The findings suggest that people have become the new frontline of cybersecurity.

📈 Why It Matters

🤖 Trust Is Under Attack: AI enables cybercriminals to create increasingly convincing emails, messages, and requests that closely resemble legitimate communications from colleagues, executives, and business partners.

👥 People Become the Frontline: Cybersecurity is no longer just about stopping malware. Employees are increasingly expected to distinguish genuine interactions from AI-generated deception.

📱 Beyond Email: Modern cyberattacks now extend across collaboration platforms, messaging apps, shared documents, and internal communication channels.

🌏 A Regional Wake-Up Call: As AI adoption accelerates across Asia Pacific, strengthening human resilience is becoming just as important as strengthening technology.

📑 Survey Methodology

The findings draw on both regional and global survey data, offering insights into how AI-driven cyber risks are evolving across different markets.

• 🇸🇬 Regional Findings: The regional findings are based on responses from 500 IT and security decision-makers in Singapore and Australia, examining how organisations perceive AI-enabled cyber threats across the two markets.

• 🌍 Global Study: The broader State of Human Risk 2026 surveyed 2,500 respondents, including 1,922 IT decision-makers and 578 IT security decision-makers, across the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, South Africa, Singapore, and Australia.

• 🏢 Enterprise Focus: All participating organisations employed at least 250 employees and 250 email users, with company sizes ranging from 250 to more than 10,000 employees.

• 🏭 Industry Coverage: Respondents represented financial services, healthcare, IT and telecommunications, manufacturing, retail, the public sector, energy and utilities, business services, construction, consumer services, and media and entertainment.

📊 Regional Findings

The regional findings reveal growing concern over AI-enabled cyberattacks, but also expose significant gaps in organisational readiness.

• ⚠️ Attack Expectations: 79% of respondents are concerned about AI being used as an attack vector, while 65% believe an AI-enabled cyberattack is inevitable within the next year.

• 📉 Preparedness: 60% say their organisations are not fully prepared to respond to AI-driven threats exploiting human vulnerabilities.

• 👥 Employee Exposure: 66% believe employees are likely to fall victim to AI-assisted social engineering attacks.

• 🎓 Training Gap: Only 40% provide AI-specific employee training, while 42% conduct simulated AI phishing exercises.

🌍 Global Insights

While the regional findings focus on Singapore and Australia, the broader global survey suggests these challenges extend well beyond the region.

• 📚 Execution Gap: 91% of organisations struggle to ensure employee compliance, 96% acknowledge incomplete protection, yet only 28% combine regular security awareness training with continuous monitoring.

• 💰 Human Risk Costs: Insider-related incidents cost organisations an average of US$13.1 million per incident. With an average of six insider incidents each month, annual exposure could reach US$943.2 million, excluding regulatory fines and reputational damage.

• 📊 Growing Exposure: Around 71% expect collaboration tool attacks to have business impact in 2026, yet 38% still rely solely on native security controls despite 64% believing those protections are insufficient.

⚠️ Mimecast: Five Critical Gaps Defining 2026

Beyond the headline figures, the report identifies five structural gaps that continue to shape cybersecurity risks in 2026.

• 📱 Attack Surface: Threats increasingly target collaboration platforms and internal communication channels alongside email.

• 👥 Insider Risk: Just 8% of employees account for 80% of security incidents, showing how a small group of users can create disproportionate organisational risk.

• 🔗 Integration: Although 65% say security integration is too complicated, organisations that succeed achieve 40% faster threat remediation.

• 🏛️ Governance: 59% lack confidence that they can quickly retrieve communications data to satisfy regulatory requirements.

• 🤖 AI Readiness: Organizations continue adopting AI technologies faster than they prepare employees to respond to AI-enabled threats.

⚖️ Regional Stakes

🇸🇬 Singapore Leads: Singapore is one of only two markets globally classified as an AI Adopter, reflecting stronger defensive AI deployment and closer coordination between government and industry.

🌏 Challenges Remain: Even among leading markets, governance and human-risk challenges persist, showing that technology adoption alone does not guarantee cyber resilience.

🌐 The Bigger Picture

The findings are also echoed by other cybersecurity research, reinforcing concerns that organisations are struggling to adapt to the rapidly evolving AI threat landscape.

• 🔍 Human Error Persists: The 2026 Thales Data Threat Report found that human error remains the leading cause of data breaches (28%), surpassing technical vulnerabilities.

• 🤖 AI Threats Expand: 59% of organisations have observed deepfake-related attacks, 61% report AI applications becoming attack targets, and 48% have experienced reputational damage linked to AI-generated misinformation.

• ⚡ Keeping Pace: Around 70% say the rapidly evolving AI ecosystem itself has become one of their greatest cybersecurity challenges, reinforcing concerns that organisations are struggling to keep pace with AI-driven threats.

🤝 Beyond the Numbers

The future of cybersecurity may depend less on stronger technology than on better human resilience. As AI makes cyberattacks increasingly convincing, human judgment is becoming one of the strongest lines of defence.

The challenge is no longer whether organisations should invest in human risk management, but whether they can keep pace with AI-driven threats.

📰 Need More Angle?

Cyber Security Asia 65% of Surveyed APAC Organisations See an AI-Enabled Attack as Inevitable Within a Year

Mimecast The State of Human Risk 2026

Thales Group 2026 Data Threat Report

(BRZ/QOB)

🎯 The Main Takeaway

ASEAN is asking the region’s media to do more than just report on summits, declarations, and diplomatic statements.

At the 10th ASEAN Media Forum, held in Manila on 29–30 July 2026, ASEAN Secretary-General Dr. Kao Kim Hourn described the media as an indispensable partner in connecting regional policies with citizens’ everyday lives.

His message reflected a genuine communications problem: ASEAN decisions are often negotiated over years, implemented unevenly and written in language far removed from ordinary people.

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Without journalists explaining what those decisions mean, much of ASEAN’s work remains visible only to officials and specialists.

But there is an important distinction.

Journalists can help the public understand ASEAN without becoming an extension of ASEAN’s public diplomacy machinery.

The strongest partnership between institutions and the press is not built on agreement. It is built on access, transparency and the freedom to scrutinise whether official commitments produce tangible results.

📡 Why It’s on Our Radar

The forum marked the 10-year anniversary of the ASEAN Media Forum, first convened in 2017.

Its tenth edition brought together 35 journalists from all 11 ASEAN member states, including Timor-Leste journalists participating for the first time after the country became ASEAN’s newest member, though they had already been present in previous editions.

The two-day programme went beyond ceremonial speeches. It included direct interfaces with the ASEAN Secretary-General and the Philippine Chair, alongside discussions on:

🤖 Generative AI and information integrity
⚡ Geopolitics and energy security
🌊 Maritime cooperation and the South China Sea
📰 The media’s role in explaining ASEAN
🤝 The future of regional media engagement

The programme, therefore, treated information not as a supporting concern, but as part of ASEAN’s response to geopolitical competition, technological disruption and declining public trust.

The forum also coincided with the first year of implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and the launch of the ASEAN Work Plan for Information and Media 2026–2035.

Together, they signal that ASEAN increasingly sees control over information, public understanding and regional narratives as strategic issues.

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🧭 From Reporting ASEAN to Explaining ASEAN

In his remarks, Dr. Kao argued that journalists should help connect complex regional policies with citizens’ everyday experiences.

He also emphasised that professional journalism involves more than reporting events. It requires verifying information, examining competing claims, providing context and helping citizens make informed judgments.

That diagnosis is difficult to dispute.

ASEAN’s work is often communicated through lengthy declarations and carefully negotiated language. The political compromises behind those documents may be significant, but their practical consequences are rarely immediately clear.

Reporting around the forum demonstrated what more accessible ASEAN journalism can look like.

Coverage emerging from direct media interfaces included:

• The Philippines’ interest in pursuing mutual recognition of halal certification with Indonesia and eventually developing more integrated regional standards.

• German development agency GIZ’s support for Timor-Leste’s integration into regional mechanisms, including a learning-management system connected to ASEAN disaster cooperation.

• Philippine Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro’s argument that the success of an ASEAN chairship should be measured by its impact on ordinary citizens rather than by the number of meetings organised.

These are more tangible stories than a summit communiqué.

They connect regional institutions with standards affecting businesses, disaster response capacity, and public expectations of government.

But effective explanation must include examination.

A report on a proposed agreement should also address when it will be concluded, how it will be implemented, who will bear its costs, and which communities may remain excluded.

Institutions communicate purpose. Journalism tests performance.

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📰 ASEAN’s New Media Roadmap

The ASEAN Work Plan for Information and Media 2026–2035 is expansive.

It recognises that the region’s information environment has been transformed by affordable smartphones, algorithm-driven platforms, artificial intelligence, social commerce and the ability of almost anyone to produce and distribute content.

It also identifies structural weaknesses within Southeast Asia’s media ecosystem, including:

⚠️ Disinformation and manipulated content
📉 Declining institutional and media trust
🧠 Uneven information literacy
💼 Weak investigative-newsroom capacity
🧩 Fragmented regional governance
📱 Algorithmic bias and the attention economy
🎥 Blurred boundaries between journalism, advertising and creators
🌐 Unequal digital access

The work plan organises ASEAN’s response around five strategic goals:

1. Access to information

2. Information integrity

3. Content production and development

4. AI and digital transformation

5. Partnerships and cross-cutting cooperation

Its overarching ambition is to create a more accessible, trusted and connected regional information environment while strengthening ASEAN identity.

This is broader than a government communications plan.

It addresses journalistic ethics, newsroom capacity, platform accountability, local-language information, digital inclusion and cross-border cooperation.

The document proposes initiatives such as:

🔎 Data-driven and evidence-based journalism
✅ Regional fact-checking and AI training hubs
📘 ASEAN guidelines on ethical journalism
🤖 Frameworks for responsible AI-generated content
🧑‍🏫 Public information-literacy programmes
📊 Greater transparency from social-media platforms
🎬 Cross-border content production and distribution
🛡 Training on digital safety and online harms

The breadth of the roadmap is a strength.

It is also an implementation risk.

⚖️ The Partnership Dilemma?

ASEAN officials repeatedly described journalists as partners in communicating regional cooperation.

Partnership can be valuable when it means:

• Better access to policymakers

• Earlier access to documents and data

• More substantive briefings

• Regional journalist exchanges

• Translation and multilingual support

• Protection and professional development

ASEAN’s own language sometimes moves between two different objectives:

Strengthening independent journalism and advancing ASEAN public diplomacy.

Those objectives may overlap, but they are not identical.

Public diplomacy seeks to explain and build support for institutional priorities. Journalism must remain free to investigate failures, contradictions and competing interests, including those of ASEAN governments.

A regional identity built only through affirmative stories would be fragile. Citizens are unlikely to trust ASEAN more simply because they receive more positive content about it.

Trust is more likely to grow when institutions:

📂 Release useful information
🗣 Answer difficult questions
📏 Publish measurable commitments
🔍 Permit independent examination
📝 Correct inaccurate or incomplete claims

The media’s value to ASEAN, therefore, comes partly from its “distance” from ASEAN.

ASEAN Work Plan for Information and Media 2026-2035 can be downloaded here.

🤖 AI Raises the Stakes

Generative AI was one of the forum’s central concerns.

Dr. Kao acknowledged its potential to improve newsroom efficiency and expand multilingual reporting, while warning about authenticity, copyright, editorial accountability, synthetic media and deepfakes.

The ASEAN Work Plan similarly treats AI as both an opportunity and a threat.

It proposes ethical frameworks, capacity-building programmes and voluntary standards for responsible technology adoption. It also identifies the need to modernise traditional newsrooms and to improve journalists' ability to identify manipulated content.

These are useful starting points, but “responsible AI” will need to be translated into newsroom practice.

That should include clear standards covering:

• Human verification before publication

• Disclosure of significant AI use

• Protection of confidential sources and personal data

• Verification of synthetic images, audio and video

• Responsibility for AI-generated errors

• Copyright and attribution

• Transparent correction procedures

Regional guidance could reduce uncertainty, particularly for smaller newsrooms that cannot build their own AI-governance systems.

However, any ASEAN framework must be developed with journalists, editors, technologists, and civil society groups, not solely by government information agencies.

Otherwise, tools introduced in the name of information integrity could blur the line between addressing demonstrably false content and regulating legitimate criticism.

🧱 The Real Challenge is Implementation

ASEAN’s new work plan includes short-, medium-, and long-term actions extending to 2035.

Its flexible structure recognises the major differences in capacity, infrastructure and regulation among member states. Not every country will implement every measure at the same speed.

That flexibility is practical.

It can also weaken accountability.

A strategy covering almost a decade requires more than conferences, training sessions and aspirational frameworks. ASEAN will need publicly understandable indicators showing whether the plan is actually improving:

📈 Access to trusted information
📰 Newsroom capacity
🧑‍💻 Digital and media literacy
🛡 Journalist safety
🌐 Multilingual accessibility
🤖 Responsible AI adoption
🔍 Platform transparency

Funding will come from a mixture of ASEAN mechanisms, member states, dialogue partners, international organisations and public or private institutions.

External support can provide expertise and resources that regional newsrooms urgently need. The ASEAN Media Forum itself has received sustained German support through GIZ.

Capacity-building programmes must strengthen journalists’ independence rather than quietly shape editorial priorities around the preferences of governments or development partners.

🌏 Timor-Leste’s Participation Matters

The inclusion of Timor-Leste journalists gave the forum particular significance.

Representation at a regional meeting is symbolically important, but meaningful media integration requires more than adding another seat at the table.

Timor-Leste’s journalists will need sustainable access to:

🗣 Multilingual regional information
🎓 Training and exchange programmes
📡 Distribution and digital infrastructure
🤝 Cross-border newsroom networks
💰 Funding opportunities
📂 ASEAN documents and policymakers

GIZ said it had involved Timor-Leste in regional activities even before its full membership and intends to expand that cooperation as the country integrates into ASEAN mechanisms.

The same inclusion test applies across the region.

ASEAN’s media agenda should not primarily benefit large metropolitan broadcasters and established national outlets. Smaller independent, community, and local-language newsrooms are often closer to the people ASEAN claims to want to reach.

Yet they also have fewer resources to absorb new digital, verification and compliance requirements.

❤️ Why This Hits Home

Most people do not experience ASEAN through declarations.

They experience it through:

⛽ Fuel and electricity prices
🍚 Food availability
💼 Jobs and investment
🛂 Borders and migration
🌊 Maritime livelihoods
📱 Digital platforms
🌪 Disaster responses
🎓 Education and mobility

Journalism provides the link between these lived realities and the regional decisions that shape them.

Without credible reporting, ASEAN can appear distant, ceremonial and dominated by closed-door meetings.

Without institutional transparency, even the best journalists cannot explain what governments refuse to disclose.

And without viable newsrooms, citizens may increasingly receive information from partisan influencers, synthetic content, or algorithmically amplified rumours.

The information crisis is therefore not only a content problem.

It is also a problem of institutions, economics and trust.

📌 The Bottom Line

ASEAN is right that how regional cooperation is reported and understood matters almost as much as the agreements themselves.

Its new media work plan correctly recognises that AI, disinformation, fragmented governance and weak newsroom capacity cannot be addressed through isolated national initiatives.

The press can partner with institutions to defend factual information, expand access, and improve public understanding.

It cannot surrender its responsibility to investigate, challenge and independently assess those institutions.

A credible ASEAN media ecosystem will not be built around a single regional narrative. It will be built around shared access to facts, professional standards and the freedom to ask whether ASEAN is delivering what it promises.

The region does not need a common script.

It needs a stronger community of journalists capable of examining a common future.

🔎 Need More Angles?

ASEAN Secretariat The 10th ASEAN Media Forum

ASEAN Secretariat A Decade of Media Engagement: 10 Years of ASEAN Media Forum

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ASEAN Secretariat Secretary-General of ASEAN engages regional media at the 10th ASEAN Media Forum

ASEAN Secretariat Secretary-General of ASEAN officiates the 10th ASEAN Media Forum

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In Diplomacy 10th ASEAN Media Forum Opens in Manila with Focus on Strengthening ASEAN Public Engagement

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Vietnam+ ASEAN media urged to uphold trust, embrace AI responsibly

(QOB/ELS)