Southeast Asian foreign ministers are gathering for their first meeting this year under the regional bloc’s new chair, Malaysia, seeking a breakthrough over Myanmar’s drawn-out civil war and territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Thai police said Wang was trafficked across the Thai-Myanmar border and held captive at KK Park in Myawaddy, which is notorious for its illegal scam operations

Hongkongers should avoid making non-essential trips to southeastern areas of Myanmar, the Security Bureau has said in issuing a red travel alert, while a top official has met the country’s consul general in the city to follow up on a resurgence of job scams.

Malaysian diplomat Othman Hashim faces the weary task of engaging the junta and persuading it to abide by a Five-Point Consensus ASEAN drew up after the coup.

Amidst the increasing reports of Hong Kong residents being lured to Southeast Asian countries and detained to engage in illegal work, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has raised the Outbound Travel Alert (OTA) level for Myanmar’s south-eastern regions to red, while maintaining an amber OTA for the rest of the country.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government raised travel alert for southeastern Myanmar to red on Friday (Jan 17), following a number of cases of Hong Kong residents being lured to Southeast Asian countries and forced to work at scam farms.

The Government raises the outbound travel alert for Myanmar (south-eastern regions) to red, while maintaining an amber alert for the rest of the country.

Michael Martin is an adjunct fellow at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He served as a specialist policy adviser on Myanmar, China, Hong Kong, and Vietnam for two decades. His work included a 15-year tenure as a political and economic analyst with the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress.

ASEAN's fifth envoy to Myanmar, Tan Sri Othman Hashim, appointed during the bloc's meeting of foreign ministers.

The government on Friday raised its travel alert for southeastern Myanmar to red, following cases of Hongkongers being lured there and forced to

Wealthy Filipinos who fly privately usually go to Singapore and Hong Kong to conduct their business dealings, according to business aviation company VistaJet, noting the local executives have grown accustomed to the convenience of traveling on their own terms. Crystal Wong, VistaJet executive vice president for sales in Asia, told the Inquirer that Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, has emerged as a “key growth market, with a growing number of affluent travelers turning to private aviation for both business and personal needs.” READ: Rich Filipinos want newer, bigger private jets Apart from Singapore and Hong Kong, these flyers with deep pockets also charter flights to Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam, she added. Wong noted that private jet traffic in Asia-Pacific rose by 14 percent in the first nine months of last year. Total flight hours grew by 20 percent in the same period. VistaJet also saw its membership soar by 15 percent in the same period last year. Growth market Moving forward, Wong said that Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, has remained a “pivotal growth market” for business aviation. “Economic factors, such as the region’s prosperity, infrastructure advancements and the expansion of business conglomerates into global markets, are driving demand for fast and convenient travel solutions,” she explained. The company official noted their passengers were turning to private aviation so they can have direct flights to tier 2 and tier 3 cities, which are often underserved by commercial airlines. “Filipino private flyers, much like their global counterparts, are increasingly embracing the simplicity, flexibility and efficiency of private aviation,” Wong said. “They value the ability to travel on their own terms, bypassing the complexities of commercial air travel while benefiting from unmatched convenience, privacy, and tailored services,” she added. Based on a report by aviation consultancy firm Asian Sky Group, there were 48 business jets in the Philippines by the end of 2023, most of which were Gulfstream’s s G650ER, G150, G450 and Textron’s CJ4 and Citation Excel. The average fleet age of private aircraft in the Philippines was 15.2 years or two years older than the rest of the business jets in Asia Pacific, the report noted.

For government critics in Southeast Asia, fleeing abroad does not necessarily mean safety. Thailand is growing particularly dangerous for foreigners seeking protection.