Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Jong Un said his country would soon conduct a nuclear warhead test and test launch ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, the official KCNA news agency reported on March 15.

President Barack Obama believes Congress will lift an embargo on Cuba under the next president, whether a Republican or a Democrat, he said in an interview with CNN Espanol that was broadcast on March 14.

Indonesia arrested 14 people, including children, as they allegedly tried to travel to Syria, where hundreds of Indonesian youngsters have joined extremist groups like the Islamic State (IS), Jakarta police spokesman Muhammad Iqbal said on March 14.

Separatist gunmen in the southern region of Thailand carried out a series of attacks on March 13.

Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-Cha on March 14 ordered an increase in security in southern provinces where Muslim people account for a majority of the population, due to increasingly volatile conditions in the area recently.

The Myanmar’s Union Parliament will elect its president on March 15 after the presidential nominee committee completes its work, said Aye Thar Aung, Deputy Speaker of the Union Parliament.

ASEAN defence chiefs stressed the need for building a peaceful environment in the East Sea to promote stability, economic growth and prosperity in the region at the closing ceremony of the 13th ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces Informal Meeting (ACDFIM – 13) in Vientiane, Laos, on March 14. 

Cambodian and US armies on March 14 kicked off a joint military exercise dubbed "Angkor Sentinel 2016," which aims to strengthen bilateral military ties and cooperation.

The 13th ASEAN Chiefs of Defence Forces Informal Meeting (ACDFIM-13) commenced in Vientiane, Laos, in the morning of March 14, under the theme “Promoting Defence Cooperation for a Dynamic ASEAN Community”. 

The Prime Minister of Thailand has urged all Asia Cooperation Dialogue member countries to cooperate actively to tackle common challenges of the region in borderless world, including poverty, climate change, epidemics and conflicts.