08/05/2026

FRIDAY | MAY 8, 2026

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Asean summit begins in Philippines

to ratify an Asean fuel-sharing pact to ensure its “earliest possible entry into force”. Asean leaders are likely to renew calls for completion of protracted talks on a code of conduct with Beijing on the South China Sea, with the 2026 target date a challenge amid competing interests. Beijing will not attend this week’s meeting in Cebu. They would also consider the crisis in Myanmar, which has divided the bloc. The nation’s new, nominally civilian government is keen to re-engage with Asean after an election swept by a party backed by the military, which had ruled for five years since a 2021 coup. Asean has not recognised the election or said when the leaders of Myanmar, whose president Min Aung Hlaing is the former junta chief, could return to its summits after five years on the sidelines. – Reuters

pacts to cooperate, rather than a clear strategy or concrete commitments. However, the scale of the energy supply shock was likely to push the bloc beyond rhetoric, as no Asean country could escape the issue, said former Philippine diplomat Laura del Rosario. Leaders are set to call for good faith negotiations between the United States and Iran and a halt in hostilities, according to a working draft of a statement seen by Reuters. It also called for international law to be upheld and traffic to flow unimpeded through the vital Strait of Hormuz, normally a conduit for a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies. “We further emphasise the need to preserve the unimpeded flow of energy and essential goods in order to safeguard economic stability, and strengthen resilience across Asean.” The aforementioned drafted statement also urged swift progress

Thailand and Cambodia yesterday. “They want an atmosphere for an Asean meeting that will go well,” Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters in the Thai capital of Bangkok. “That’s why they want us to see each other.” He did not elaborate on the topics to be discussed, but said he would be steadfast in defending Thailand’s interests. “Any talks will have to be beneficial, protect Thai sovereignty and the public interest.” Thailand and Cambodia have stuck to the ceasefire since December 2025, following two eruptions of fighting along stretches of their 817km border, the first of which ended after intervention by US President Donald Trump. Asean, with a combined gross domestic product of about US$3.8 trillion, has long struggled to coordinate its responses to crises, with meetings typically resulting in

said Kim, using the acronym for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the country’s official name. North Korea ratified the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in 1985 before ultimately declaring its withdrawal in 2003 as a nuclear crisis unfolded when the US confronted Pyongyang about its covert efforts to build nuclear weapons. The legality of the withdrawal has been disputed. US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held summits in 2018 and 2019 before negotiations broke down over Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal. Kim last year signalled an openness to meeting Trump again if the US dropped its demands that he give up nuclear weapons. It added that the test verified the combat system’s operational capabilities in terms of detection and tracking, fire control, launch and torpedo guidance. In January, the submarine carried out its first underwater sea trial. Taiwan has said it hopes to deploy at least two such domestically developed submarines by 2027. The first submarine, with a price tag of US$1.57 billion, will use a combat system by Lockheed Martin Corp and carry US-made Mark 48 heavyweight torpedoes. The CSBC statement did not say what kind of torpedoes were test-fired. The Narwhal had been due to be delivered to the navy in 2024, joining two existing submarines purchased from the Netherlands in the 1980s, but the programme was delayed. Taiwan’s armed forces are dwarfed by those of China, which has three aircraft carriers and several nuclear powered ballistic missile submarines, and is developing stealth fighter jets. – Reuters meetings held ahead of the summit. “Asean needs to strengthen our crisis coordination and institutional readiness in times of crisis,” said Philippine foreign affairs secretary Theresa Lazaro. “The ongoing crisis in the Middle East and its far-reaching repercussions remind us that developments beyond our region could have immediate and profound effects on Asean.” Diplomats and analysts say the energy issue would prove a test of the Philippines’ skills as chair, forcing it to shape a regional response while preventing Asean’s own conflicts from slipping down the agenda. These include Myanmar’s civil war and last year’s deadly and still unresolved border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia, despite an uneasy calm after a ceasefire. The Philippines arranged a three way meeting of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and the leaders of

representative to the United Nations Kim Song said the US and some countries were “tarnishing the atmosphere” at the 11th NPT review conference being held at the UN headquarters, bringing up the issue of North Korea’s nuclear weapons. Kim said the position of North Korea as a nuclear weapons state “does not change in accordance with rhetorical assertion or unilateral desire of outsiders”. “I denounce and reject in the strongest tone the brigandish and shameless acts of the specific countries, including the US, which are taking issue with the DPRK’s realistic and just access to nuclear weapons,“ TAIPEI: Taiwan has carried out the maiden torpedo test firing for its first domestically developed submarine, a major milestone in a project aimed at strengthening deterrence against the Chinese navy and protecting vital sea lanes in the event of war. Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has made the indigenous submarine programme a key part of an ambitious project to modernise its armed forces as Beijing stages almost daily military exercises to assert its sovereignty claims. The submarine programme has drawn on expertise and technology from several countries, including the United States and Britain, a breakthrough for diplomatically isolated Taiwan, whose government rejects Beijing’s territorial claims. Taiwan’s CSBC Corp, which is leading construction of what is eventually planned to be eight submarines, yesterday said the first ship, named the Narwhal , had carried out its first torpedo test the day before. CEBU: beyond Southeast Asia are expected to dominate meetings of the regional Asean bloc that began yesterday in the Philippines, with the Middle East crisis posing serious challenges for its fuel import-dependent economies. Concerns of energy and food supply security are expected to take centre stage in two days of meetings by leaders and ministers of the bloc of 11 nations, home to nearly 700 million, that are among the regions most exposed to fallout from the conflict. The event’s chair, the Philippines, expressed hope that Asean ministers could hammer out an oil-sharing framework agreement at special o Energy crisis, food security issues likely to take centre stage Conflicts far

Pyongyang stands firm on nukes SEOUL: North Korea is not bound to any treaty on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, state media KCNA reported yesterday, as Pyongyang continues to reject international pressure and sanctions to dismantle its nuclear programme. North Korea permanent

North Korea has set up nuclear facilities across the isolated country, with some analysts estimating it may have produced enough fissile material for 90 nuclear warheads. – Reuters Taiwan tests domestic submarine

South Korea cuts jail term for ex-PM SEOUL: A South Korean Appeals Court yesterday cut the jail sentence for former prime minister Han Duck soo to 15 years from 23 years over his role in ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief imposition of martial law in 2024. minister, had the responsibility to curb and control the president’s wrongful execution of his power and help him legally exercise his authority. CRUISING CANINES ... Luang Por Chamnan, abbot of Wat Chin Wararam, rides on a boat with a pack of temple dogs during his morning alms routine on the Chao Phraya River in Pathum Thani, Thailand. – REUTERSPIC

law after parliament voted it down. The lower court had in January handed Han a 23-year jail term, saying he “turned a blind eye” to the martial law plan and engaged in a key action of insurrection. Prosecutors, who had requested a 15-year prison sentence ahead of the first ruling, sought 23 years for the appeal. Han denied wrongdoing on all charges except perjury, saying in November that while he regretted not being able to stop Yoon from declaring martial law, he “never agreed to it or tried to help”. His lawyer said he would appeal again. Yoon, who faces eight separate trials, was sentenced to life in prison on the most serious charge of leading an insurrection tied to his declaration of martial law. He has denied wrongdoing. – Reuters

“However, he abandoned the enormous duty and joined the side participating in insurrection. He committed crimes afterwards to cover up his guilt, so his crime is grave.” The court also found him guilty of fabricating a presidential document and perjury. However, the judge said he took into account Han’s 50-year-long career in public service, including posts at the Finance Ministry and Foreign Ministry. The judge also said it was not clearly established that Han actively participated in Yoon’s plan, adding that he later convened another Cabinet meeting to rescind martial

The appellate court upheld a lower court’s finding that Han engaged in key acts to help Yoon declare martial law and did not dissuade him. The judge said Han, 76, convened a Cabinet meeting to facilitate legal procedures to impose martial law, rejecting his claim that the gathering was intended to block Yoon. The judge added that Han was also aware of the former safety minister’s plan to cut off supplies of power and water to some media companies during martial law, but failed to prevent it. “The defendant, as prime