Uploaded October 2015 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
South Korea shares its new UAV program to counter incursions from the DPRK while Indonesia mulls declaring a national emergency. Plus Myanmar enlists 40,000 to monitor upcoming elections and dengue explodes in Thailand.
Korean Drone Wars?
The DPRK is believed to have a fleet of militarized drones. Several have been found, crashed in South Korea. These small blue planes (presumably to match the color of the sky) appeared to be no more than model planes and outfitted with cameras, have flown over various military bases, and even reportedly the presidential compound. Now South Korea is stepping up its own game and researching countermeasures. Shim Hyun-chul, head of the unmanned systems research group at KAIST University says, “The fear is that the drones are very easy to build… They can do a lot of things. It appears as a very new threat.”
Indonesia: National state of emergency
The Indonesian haze crisis is truly one that’s out of hand. It even prompted President Widodo to cut short his trip to the US and fly back home to try and get a handle on things. It’s been previously been reported that some estimates place fire containment and smoke eradication to be some three years down the line, which led to an international effort to try and help tackle that problem faster. But even with that help, Indonesia hasn’t been able to contain the fires. Now the country looks like it may declare the haze fires a national emergency to free up more assets to address the issue — this is on top of the already thousands of troops deployed.
Myanmar election police
Myanmar is planning on holding a national election in a little over a week on November 8th. In an effort to help keep them running smooth, the government has enlisted some 40,000 to serve as police officers to ensure law and order at polling stations. May Wong asked what the criteria for service was and an official told her recruits shouldn’t have tattoos and to appear fit.
Thailand’s dengue explosion
I’ve previously mentioned about the state of dengue fever making its way through several Southeast Asian countries. With the winter peak travel season quickly approaching, some may be eyeing Thailand as a possible destination… and really why not? It’s a great place to go on holiday. But, Thailand is now reporting close to 100,000 cases of dengue fever, prompting health officials to be concerned. According to the Department of Disease Control, the number of cases has more than doubled from last year with more than 100 patients succumbing to the disease.
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Podcast: asianewsweekly.net
South Korea shares its new UAV program to counter incursions from the DPRK while Indonesia mulls declaring a national emergency. Plus Myanmar enlists 40,000 to monitor upcoming elections and dengue explodes in Thailand.
Korean Drone Wars?
The DPRK is believed to have a fleet of militarized drones. Several have been found, crashed in South Korea. These small blue planes (presumably to match the color of the sky) appeared to be no more than model planes and outfitted with cameras, have flown over various military bases, and even reportedly the presidential compound. Now South Korea is stepping up its own game and researching countermeasures. Shim Hyun-chul, head of the unmanned systems research group at KAIST University says, “The fear is that the drones are very easy to build… They can do a lot of things. It appears as a very new threat.”
Indonesia: National state of emergency
The Indonesian haze crisis is truly one that’s out of hand. It even prompted President Widodo to cut short his trip to the US and fly back home to try and get a handle on things. It’s been previously been reported that some estimates place fire containment and smoke eradication to be some three years down the line, which led to an international effort to try and help tackle that problem faster. But even with that help, Indonesia hasn’t been able to contain the fires. Now the country looks like it may declare the haze fires a national emergency to free up more assets to address the issue — this is on top of the already thousands of troops deployed.
Myanmar election police
Myanmar is planning on holding a national election in a little over a week on November 8th. In an effort to help keep them running smooth, the government has enlisted some 40,000 to serve as police officers to ensure law and order at polling stations. May Wong asked what the criteria for service was and an official told her recruits shouldn’t have tattoos and to appear fit.
Thailand’s dengue explosion
I’ve previously mentioned about the state of dengue fever making its way through several Southeast Asian countries. With the winter peak travel season quickly approaching, some may be eyeing Thailand as a possible destination… and really why not? It’s a great place to go on holiday. But, Thailand is now reporting close to 100,000 cases of dengue fever, prompting health officials to be concerned. According to the Department of Disease Control, the number of cases has more than doubled from last year with more than 100 patients succumbing to the disease.
Have something to add to these or other stories? Share your opinion on Facebook, Twitter, or by messaging podcast@asianewsweekly.net.
Connect with me on social media and the internet!
e-mail: podcast@asianewsweekly.net
Twitter: twitter.com/SteveMillerANW
Facebook: facebook.com/asianewsweekly
Podcast: asianewsweekly.net
