Singapore’s US-interest balancing act, viral Songkran clash: 7 Asia highlights
From Southeast Asian nations skipping Balikatan drills to India’s nuclear breakthrough, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting
1. Singapore balances national interest with rising anti-US sentiment
In a rare public protest in Singapore, hundreds gathered in Hong Lim Park over the weekend to denounce the “US war machine”. They brandished placards and banners, including one with horns drawn on US presidents past and present captioned: “This is what terrorists look like.”
2. Why Southeast Asian nations are skipping major US-Philippine Balikatan drills
Balikatan, the flagship annual military exercise between Manila and Washington, begins in the Philippines this month without a single neighbouring Southeast Asian member taking part, despite the drills’ growing scale and multinational reach.
3. 7 French tourists arrested after viral Songkran clash with van driver in Phuket
Thai police arrested seven French tourists after a viral Songkran confrontation in Phuket in which revellers surrounded a van, sprayed its driver with water and later ignored police orders to disperse