https://www.scmp.com/rss/318215/feed Southeast Asia's latest news, current affairs, politics and regional issues. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com CNA CNA Three social media platforms have been ordered to block access to 14 posts which “target the Indian community and undermine Singapore’s model of multiculturalism”, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on Saturday. The police have issued disabling directions under the Online Criminal Harms Act to block access to the posts on YouTube, Facebook and X, MHA said in a statement. The direction required the platforms to “take all reasonable steps to disable access by Singapore users to these posts”,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3356202/singapore-orders-social-media-platforms-block-foreign-posts-targeting-indian-community?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3356202/singapore-orders-social-media-platforms-block-foreign-posts-targeting-indian-community?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2026 08:15:23 +0000 The Star The Star FamilyMart in Malaysia has taken immediate disciplinary action by suspending an employee who allegedly threw hot soup at a delivery rider, as seen in a viral video. The popular Japanese convenience store chain has apologised for the employee’s actions and for the delay in providing an update. “We have attended to the well-being of the delivery rider, cooperating fully with the authorities in their investigation and continued our own internal investigation and Domestic Inquiry in accordance with... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3356189/familymart-malaysia-apologises-suspends-worker-filmed-throwing-hot-soup-grab-rider?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3356189/familymart-malaysia-apologises-suspends-worker-filmed-throwing-hot-soup-grab-rider?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2026 03:57:30 +0000 Zhou Bo Zhou Bo Listening to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth at the recently concluded Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, I thought of the iconic Sichuan opera act of face-changing, where performers switch masks in an instant. Last year, Hegseth’s speech at the event was filled with blatant attacks on China. This year, he put on a completely different face, declaring that: “Under President Trump’s leadership, relations between the United States and China are better than they’ve been in many years.” Why this... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3355862/does-pete-hegseths-volte-face-china-reflect-america-decline?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3355862/does-pete-hegseths-volte-face-china-reflect-america-decline?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2026 01:30:05 +0000 Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele Waves break along Cenang Beach as the sun drops over the Andaman Sea, washing Langkawi’s white sand in gold. Tourists sip fresh coconuts beneath rows of bright umbrellas, gazing out at the “Jewel of Kedah”: a duty-free archipelago long sold as one of Malaysia’s premier tropical escapes. Out on the water, meanwhile, small boats traverse the 8km (five miles) of open water that separates Langkawi from Thailand’s Koh Tarutao. On fast boats, the crossing takes a matter of minutes. No navigation... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3356122/how-malaysias-langkawi-became-paradise-smugglers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3356122/how-malaysias-langkawi-became-paradise-smugglers?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2026 00:00:17 +0000 Albee Zhang Albee Zhang Indonesia is considering buying hi-tech policing equipment from China, setting out a shopping list for technology ranging from drones to tactical armoured vehicles at a police equipment trade show in Beijing. The Indonesian National Police is particularly interested in counterterrorism equipment, including intelligence technology, tactical weapons, bomb disposal gear and special purpose vehicles, according to a list of requirements released at a forum held at the expo on Thursday. Most of this... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3356160/indonesian-police-market-hi-tech-chinese-equipment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3356160/indonesian-police-market-hi-tech-chinese-equipment?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 22:00:14 +0000 Reuters Reuters Thailand said on Friday it will join a UN arbitration process chosen by Cambodia to resolve a festering maritime boundary dispute, but put on hold for now other two-way efforts to settle their contested borders. This week Cambodia launched a compulsory conciliation process under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), after Bangkok decided last month to unilaterally end a ‌2001 framework pact for talks on a disputed maritime belt. For more than 25 years, both have claimed... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3356157/thailand-join-un-maritime-arbitration-cambodia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3356157/thailand-join-un-maritime-arbitration-cambodia?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 12:59:19 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran The Philippines’ landslide defeat to Kyrgyzstan for a UN Security Council seat has dealt a blow to Manila’s long-running campaign to raise its international diplomatic profile through the prestigious body, prompting questions about President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s foreign policy legacy. Analysts said the loss reflected the appeal of having under-represented Central Asia play a role in the council, Kyrgyzstan’s perceived neutrality and the geopolitical baggage attached to the Philippines as a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3356150/why-philippines-political-circus-may-have-led-un-loss-kyrgyzstan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3356150/why-philippines-political-circus-may-have-led-un-loss-kyrgyzstan?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 11:23:25 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Pig farmers in the central state of Selangor have spent years trying to keep their business out of Malaysia’s culture wars. A royal decree has dragged them straight into one. The state’s decision to shut down pig farms, prompted by Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, Selangor’s hereditary ruler, has transformed a long-standing local dispute over pollution and odour into a flashpoint touching on royal influence, the livelihoods of a minority community and the delicate balancing act facing Malaysia’s... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3356127/how-pig-farm-dispute-exposed-fault-lines-malaysias-multiracial-politics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3356127/how-pig-farm-dispute-exposed-fault-lines-malaysias-multiracial-politics?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 10:11:29 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones A race to dig rare earths and metals in the mineral-rich mountains of eastern Myanmar is polluting waterways that millions of people living downstream depend on after a new tungsten mine reportedly began operations near the Thai border, according to environmental groups. Myanmar is among the top three producing nations of rare earths and other critical minerals used to make magnets and other components that power products ranging from smartphones to electric vehicles, with most of its output... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3356085/race-rare-earths-myanmars-borders-fuels-pollution-fears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3356085/race-rare-earths-myanmars-borders-fuels-pollution-fears?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 08:07:46 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Malaysia is heading into a run of state elections, including two triggered by early assembly dissolutions, after Negeri Sembilan became the latest state to call a snap poll amid fraying ties inside Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s ruling alliance. While the polls will not directly affect Anwar’s parliamentary majority, they will test whether his federal partners can keep their coalition functioning at the state level or whether local disputes will deepen the fractures between them. On Friday,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3356084/malaysian-state-polls-loom-negeri-sembilan-snap-vote-tests-anwars-alliance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3356084/malaysian-state-polls-loom-negeri-sembilan-snap-vote-tests-anwars-alliance?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 07:51:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah has named one of his youngest sons as foreign minister in a major cabinet reshuffle – largely seen as a move to prepare for the next generation of leaders in the oil-rich kingdom. As the 10th child and fourth son of the sultan, Prince Abdul Mateen is down the line of succession, but his matinee idol looks have earned him more than 3 million followers on Instagram, providing a modern face to the royal family. Another younger son, Prince Abdul Malik, was also... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3356063/brunei-picks-helicopter-flying-prince-abdul-mateen-foreign-minister?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3356063/brunei-picks-helicopter-flying-prince-abdul-mateen-foreign-minister?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 06:27:11 +0000 Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele A revision to Malaysia’s public university admissions rules has reopened one of the multicultural country’s most sensitive political debates: how far its national education system should accommodate Chinese-language schooling. Malaysia’s government on May 15 said students from Chinese independent secondary schools could apply to public universities through specified pathways using the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC), the school-leaving qualification used by those institutions. The decision... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3356005/malaysias-new-university-rules-rekindle-multilingualism-debate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3356005/malaysias-new-university-rules-rekindle-multilingualism-debate?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 03:02:03 +0000 Aisyah Llewellyn Aisyah Llewellyn The recent deaths of two men from crocodile attacks in North Sumatra have put a spotlight on Indonesia’s record as the country with the world’s highest number of such killings annually, raising questions over whether habitat destruction is pushing people and wildlife into increasingly dangerous contact. Environmental groups said the deaths reflected a wider pattern across the archipelago, where logging, plantations and other land-use changes had destabilised ecosystems. The first incident was on... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3356002/fatal-crocodile-attacks-indonesia-put-spotlight-habitat-destruction?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3356002/fatal-crocodile-attacks-indonesia-put-spotlight-habitat-destruction?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 00:00:18 +0000 https://www.scmp.com/news/china/series/3355958/japan-philippines-maritime-talks-2026?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/series/3355958/japan-philippines-maritime-talks-2026?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 09:27:14 +0000 Aidan Jones,Iman Muttaqin Yusof Aidan Jones,Iman Muttaqin Yusof Thailand’s shrimp industry is reeling from the latest blow to its once market-dominant business after Malaysia this week suspended imports from its northern neighbour, triggering fresh despair from a sector whose revenue has nosedived in the 15 years since it claimed the crown as the world’s largest exporter. Malaysia’s temporary ban on five shrimp species – as well as tightened import requirements for Thai sea bass – came into force on Monday. The trade row comes as Thailand’s fisheries sector... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3355950/thailands-shrimp-industry-lowest-point-it-reels-malaysia-import-ban?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3355950/thailands-shrimp-industry-lowest-point-it-reels-malaysia-import-ban?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 08:54:26 +0000 The Star The Star AirAsia X has called recent media reports claiming its Philippine operations were being grounded “coordinated and sensationalised” and part of a “deliberate smear campaign”. In a statement, the airline group said the smear campaign had long been occurring in an attempt to undermine fair competition in the Philippine aviation sector. “Such narratives serve only the interests of those seeking to limit consumer choice and create conditions that could lead to a monopoly in the market,” it said. “A... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355929/airasia-denies-philippine-flight-grounding-claims-slams-smear-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355929/airasia-denies-philippine-flight-grounding-claims-slams-smear-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 07:15:05 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof For Chinese parents worn down by exam pressure, the solution now being offered by many creators on RedNote is not another tutoring strategy but another country: Malaysia. On the Chinese lifestyle app, mainland creators living in Malaysia are pitching the country as a softer landing for family life. They highlight international schools, Mandarin-speaking clinics, familiar food and lower living costs in Malaysia, speaking directly to compatriots anxious about schooling and affordability – and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3355931/why-malaysia-winning-praise-rednotes-chinese-influencers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3355931/why-malaysia-winning-praise-rednotes-chinese-influencers?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 07:03:51 +0000 Johannes Nugroho Johannes Nugroho Indonesia’s free meals programme has long been beset with governance problems, quality issues and mass food poisoning cases. Now, corruption allegations and the arrests of top former officials overseeing Prabowo Subianto’s flagship scheme risk turning it into a political hot potato for the president. Prabowo sacked former National Nutrition Agency chief Dadan Hindayana and his two ex-deputies, Sonny Sonjaya and Lodewyk Pusung, on Tuesday. The trio were charged with corruption and taken into... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355916/will-prabowos-free-meals-scheme-survive-amid-indonesia-corruption-arrests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355916/will-prabowos-free-meals-scheme-survive-amid-indonesia-corruption-arrests?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 05:26:24 +0000 CNA CNA Details of how a Cambodia-based scam syndicate allegedly targeted victims in Singapore through a three-level scheme emerged in court on Wednesday, as a woman went on trial over her alleged participation in the operation. De Villar Rizalyn Panganiban, 35, a Filipino, allegedly belonged to a criminal group that carried out government official impersonation scams, in which victims were tricked into believing their bank accounts had been compromised before being persuaded to transfer money to... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355892/suspected-filipino-scammer-reveals-how-cambodian-ring-conned-singaporeans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355892/suspected-filipino-scammer-reveals-how-cambodian-ring-conned-singaporeans?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 02:00:13 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Just over a year after consolidating its status as Singapore’s main opposition, the Workers’ Party (WP) is grappling with internal fissures as chief Pritam Singh’s role is being questioned by his own members. Singh, who has led the WP since 2018, is facing a special conference later this month called by 25 cadre members pushing for him to step down as secretary general for breaching the party constitution, according to local media. Sources say there is a generational divide in the party, with... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3355875/singapores-pritam-singh-facing-cracks-his-party-what-does-say-about-opposition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3355875/singapores-pritam-singh-facing-cracks-his-party-what-does-say-about-opposition?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:10 +0000 Christine Loh Christine Loh Since the Ukraine war began in 2022, Asia has been watching conflict as if enrolled in a study course. We have heard every argument: Nato enlargement, Russian insecurity, Ukrainian sovereignty, European fear, American power, energy politics, sanctions, nationalism and resistance. We have watched Gaza burn. We have watched the United States capture Venezuela’s president and defend the act as lawful. We have watched Iran absorb attacks and retaliate. For Asians, these are no longer distant events.... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3355563/5-lessons-asia-it-studies-wars-privilege-peace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3355563/5-lessons-asia-it-studies-wars-privilege-peace?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 21:30:06 +0000 Sam Beltran Sam Beltran A citizen watchdog has been launched in the Philippines to monitor Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio’s impeachment trial, as turmoil inside the Senate threatens to deepen public doubts over whether the politically explosive proceedings can be handled fairly and constitutionally. Members of civil society launched the coalition, called Bantay Senado (Senate Watch), on Monday, saying it would “help ensure that the impeachment trial is conducted transparently, fairly and forthwith, in keeping with... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355857/citizen-group-press-transparency-philippine-vp-sara-dutertes-impeachment-trial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355857/citizen-group-press-transparency-philippine-vp-sara-dutertes-impeachment-trial?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:13:37 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Indonesian officials arrested on Wednesday the former head of the country’s free school meals programme, blighted by mass food poisonings and corruption claims, a day after he was fired. The much-hyped billion-dollar feeding scheme was the flagship policy of President Prabowo Subianto’s 2024 election campaign. Prabowo fired Dadan Hindayana, an entomologist who had led the National Nutrition Agency since its inception in August 2024, along with two deputies on Tuesday. All three were taken into... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355853/indonesia-arrests-sacked-head-free-meal-scheme?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355853/indonesia-arrests-sacked-head-free-meal-scheme?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 11:53:20 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof A Malaysian power systems specialist has struck a deal with a Hong Kong battery storage firm to pursue large-scale projects aimed at helping the country prepare its electricity grid for more renewable energy. The two-year agreement between Mikro MSC Berhad and Hong Kong Cospower Technology Co Ltd (HKCT) makes the company HKCT’s exclusive strategic partner in Malaysia for utility-scale battery energy storage system (BESS) projects. Such battery systems are meant to address one of solar power’s... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3355831/malaysia-taps-hong-kong-battery-expertise-power-ambitions-electricity-grid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3355831/malaysia-taps-hong-kong-battery-expertise-power-ambitions-electricity-grid?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 09:30:50 +0000 Aidan Jones Aidan Jones Thailand’s divisive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was freed from parole on Wednesday after receiving a royal pardon from King Maha Vajiralongkorn, as the 76-year-old billionaire businessman’s plans remain unclear. Thaksin, who stood at the heart of a two-decade power struggle with rival sections of the Thai elite, served eight months of a one-year jail term for corruption and abuse of power. He was released from jail early last month due to his advancing age, with his term originally... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355807/thai-ex-pm-thaksin-granted-royal-pardon-mark-queens-birthday?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355807/thai-ex-pm-thaksin-granted-royal-pardon-mark-queens-birthday?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 07:51:40 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Two siblings allegedly racing each other in luxury cars have sparked fresh outrage in Malaysia after a multivehicle crash in Johor state killed five people – including four members of the same family – reigniting debate over what the government itself has called a “serious public health challenge” on the country’s roads. Police arrested the 19-year-old driver of a Mercedes-Benz A250, identified by local media as a Singapore university student, in connection with Monday’s crash on the Kluang –... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3355767/alleged-luxury-car-race-crash-killed-5-renews-malaysias-road-safety-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3355767/alleged-luxury-car-race-crash-killed-5-renews-malaysias-road-safety-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 03:31:24 +0000 CNA CNA Three men have been arrested after they allegedly robbed a woman and locked her and her child on a balcony at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) in Singapore. The police said on Tuesday that they were alerted at about 7pm the day before to a case of robbery with hurt along Bayfront Avenue. According to preliminary investigations, a 45-year-old woman visited the area after agreeing to exchange S$50,000 (US$39,000) worth of cash for foreign currency with someone she spoke to on a messaging platform. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355757/singapore-arrests-3-chinese-nationals-after-woman-child-locked-during-hotel-robbery?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355757/singapore-arrests-3-chinese-nationals-after-woman-child-locked-during-hotel-robbery?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 00:54:09 +0000 Resty Woro Yuniar Resty Woro Yuniar Indonesia’s deepening ties with France have given President Prabowo Subianto a chance to advance Jakarta’s defence modernisation, strengthen relations with Europe and expand its international footprint. But analysts say the Paris visit has also fuelled a debate at home on whether deals and diplomatic goodwill arising from Prabowo’s frequent foreign trips can translate into benefits for ordinary Indonesians. Prabowo, who has visited France four times as president, met his French counterpart... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355720/prabowos-overseas-visits-spark-debate-indonesia-over-benefits-citizens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355720/prabowos-overseas-visits-spark-debate-indonesia-over-benefits-citizens?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2026 10:37:42 +0000 Reuters Reuters Cambodia said on Tuesday it had launched a compulsory conciliation process under international law aimed at resolving a long-running maritime boundary dispute with Thailand and had informed the United Nations and Bangkok. The move follows a Thai government decision last month to unilaterally terminate a 2001 agreement with Cambodia that provided ‌a framework for negotiations over the disputed area in the Gulf of Thailand where the two countries’ maritime claims overlap. “We have taken this step... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355696/cambodia-starts-un-backed-process-settle-maritime-dispute-thailand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355696/cambodia-starts-un-backed-process-settle-maritime-dispute-thailand?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2026 09:03:11 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof For decades, Umno was the party that defined power in Malaysia. Now, after years of scandal, defeat and uneasy coalition politics, it is turning to its birthplace of Johor to prove it can still win on its own terms. The southern state’s snap election will test whether the United Malays National Organisation (Umno) can still attract Malay voters, defend its strongest remaining state government and hold off both Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s allies and the Malay-Muslim opposition, analysts... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355690/malaysias-umno-hedges-johor-state-election-lure-malay-votes-stronghold?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355690/malaysias-umno-hedges-johor-state-election-lure-malay-votes-stronghold?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2026 09:00:09 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles The arrest of Philippine Senator Jinggoy Estrada has deepened a stand-off in the Senate, leaving the chamber split between two 11-member blocs and raising the risk of a wider political crisis, analysts told This Week in Asia. They warned the stalemate could stall legislation, delay military appointments and complicate Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio’s impeachment trial, leaving the Senate’s basic ability to do business hostage to a factional power struggle. Estrada, chairman of the Senate... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355679/philippine-senate-deadlock-deepens-after-estrada-arrest-complicating-sara-dutertes-trial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355679/philippine-senate-deadlock-deepens-after-estrada-arrest-complicating-sara-dutertes-trial?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2026 08:09:38 +0000 The Star The Star Malaysia has urged Norway to help expedite a refund for the cancelled missile procurement deal, with Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin insisting that Oslo cannot absolve itself of responsibility. Khaled said he had recently met Norway’s defence minister and conveyed Malaysia’s position that the Norwegian government’s refusal to approve an export licence was the cause of the issue. “The source of everything is Norway’s decision not to approve the export licence to Malaysia. Therefore, Norway... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355656/malaysia-tells-norway-hasten-scrapped-missile-deal-refund?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355656/malaysia-tells-norway-hasten-scrapped-missile-deal-refund?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2026 07:00:06 +0000 Jeoffrey Maitem Jeoffrey Maitem Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr’s net satisfaction rating has hit an all-time low, with observers citing deep-seated economic anxieties as the main driver behind the slump – even as expanded media exposure has helped boost awareness of his foreign policy initiatives. The latest Social Weather Stations survey put Marcos’ net satisfaction rating at minus 15 in March: a 12-point drop from minus 3 in November 2025 and the worst figure of his presidency, eclipsing the previous nadir of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355665/philippine-president-marcos-ratings-hit-record-low-inflation-bites?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355665/philippine-president-marcos-ratings-hit-record-low-inflation-bites?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2026 06:55:44 +0000 Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele Asia’s fuel needs may take priority over the strategic risks of relying on oil from heavily sanctioned Russia, according to experts. Currently, there is little political appetite to treat the surge of Moscow’s crude flowing eastward through a “dark fleet” of tankers as a potential security issue. The US-Israeli war on Iran has caused the price of Brent crude – the benchmark measure – to spike to above US$100 since March, although talks with Washington have seen the price soften in recent days to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3355618/why-oil-hungry-asia-ignores-risks-linked-russias-dark-fleet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3355618/why-oil-hungry-asia-ignores-risks-linked-russias-dark-fleet?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2026 02:03:12 +0000 Richard Heydarian Richard Heydarian “You have absolutely no idea of what you’re talking about. The whole point of Pax Silica is to partner with countries who are good at doing different things because everyone wins from a secure supply chain,” wrote US Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg on a social media website in response to an online critic of the US strategic initiative with the Philippines. The spirited exchange came after Manila’s reported rejection of a request to extend diplomatic immunity to US... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3355350/philippines-bet-shaky-investment-pledges-us-risks-chinas-ire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3355350/philippines-bet-shaky-investment-pledges-us-risks-chinas-ire?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 21:30:05 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk An Australian man has been detained in Vietnam’s coastal city of Da Nang after allegedly going on a shirtless late-night rampage through a cafe, causing extensive damage and forcing frightened customers to flee. The incident unfolded at Ge Cafe on Le Hong Phong Street in central Da Nang shortly before midnight on Friday, according to a detailed account posted by the cafe on its social media account. Local news outlet Tuoi Tre reported that ward police had identified the man as an Australian... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355593/vietnam-detains-australian-man-who-trashed-da-nang-cafe-late-night-rampage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355593/vietnam-detains-australian-man-who-trashed-da-nang-cafe-late-night-rampage?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 13:11:46 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof Malaysia’s southern state of Johor dissolved its legislature on Monday, setting up an election within 60 days that analysts said would test whether the once-dominant Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition can turn its state stronghold into a launch pad for a wider political comeback. The vote will also put Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) reformist alliance in an awkward contest against its federal partner BN, with both coalitions set to run against each other in Johor... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355587/snap-polls-malaysias-johor-tests-umno-comeback-bid-and-anwars-ruling-alliance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355587/snap-polls-malaysias-johor-tests-umno-comeback-bid-and-anwars-ruling-alliance?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:29:25 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press More than a dozen rescue and charity groups used excavation machinery on Monday to recover bodies following a massive blast from stored mining explosives in northeastern Myanmar. The explosion occurred on Sunday at noon in Kaungtup village, Namhkam township in Shan State near the Chinese border. Initial reports had suggested there were at least 45 deaths, but local rescue volunteers now put the number of dead at 38-40. Determining the exact death toll has been complicated because several bodies... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355585/rescuers-dig-bodies-after-myanmar-explosives-blast-kills-least-38?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355585/rescuers-dig-bodies-after-myanmar-explosives-blast-kills-least-38?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:57:40 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A Philippine senator said he will surrender to authorities after a special anti-corruption court ordered his arrest on Monday on a non-bailable charge of plunder after he allegedly pocketed a huge kickback in a flood-control project. It is the latest crisis to hit the country’s Senate, the upper chamber where a battle for control of the country’s political future is playing out. The special Sandiganbayan anti-corruption court had initially issued a warrant for Senator Jinggoy Estrada’s arrest on... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355569/philippine-lawmaker-charged-corruption-surrender?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355569/philippine-lawmaker-charged-corruption-surrender?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 09:41:26 +0000 Ushar Daniele Ushar Daniele Malaysia is unlikely to come close to a US call for Asian partners to spend 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product on defence, analysts have said, as Putrajaya tries to modernise an ageing military without overwhelming public finances or appearing to align with Washington’s China strategy. Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the US had “every right” to ask allies to raise defence expenditure, but stressed that Malaysia faced limits as a developing economy. “For a country like Malaysia,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355559/we-are-small-country-why-malaysia-resisting-us-defence-spending-call?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355559/we-are-small-country-why-malaysia-resisting-us-defence-spending-call?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 09:15:46 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing’s first trip to India since being sworn in as president signals New Delhi’s recognition of the strongman’s political status as it seeks to counter mounting Chinese influence, according to analysts. The five-day visit, which began on Saturday at the personal invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is aimed at strengthening ties with one of Myanmar’s key regional partners. Despite Western sanctions imposed after the February 2021 coup, India has maintained... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355552/india-rolls-out-welcome-mat-myanmars-min-aung-hlaing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355552/india-rolls-out-welcome-mat-myanmars-min-aung-hlaing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 08:55:31 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The leaders of Vietnam and the Philippines upheld the importance of keeping the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea amid tensions in the strategic waterway where Beijing lays expansive claim. “As fellow claimant states, we reaffirm that maintaining peace, stability and the freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea remains non-negotiable,” Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr said. He spoke at a joint briefing with visiting Vietnamese leader To Lam after their... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355526/philippines-vietnam-close-ranks-south-china-sea-lam-visits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355526/philippines-vietnam-close-ranks-south-china-sea-lam-visits?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 06:31:05 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof A Malaysian state chief minister is under police investigation after a viral video showed him shooting a sacrificial cow with a shotgun at an Eid ul-Adha event, triggering public anger and questions over gun use, animal welfare and Islamic slaughter rules. Police in Perlis, a small northern state bordering Thailand, said they had seized the shotgun believed to have been used by Chief Minister Abu Bakar Hamzah at the korban (ritual sacrifice of livestock) ceremony in Kuala Perlis on... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3355505/anger-malaysian-state-leader-shoots-eid-cow-shotgun?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3355505/anger-malaysian-state-leader-shoots-eid-cow-shotgun?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 03:53:41 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk Malaysia began enforcing age verification requirements for social media platforms on Monday, barring children under 16 from opening new accounts and requiring all existing users to confirm their identities using official government documents. The measures come into force under the Online Safety Act 2025 and are being implemented by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) through two complementary frameworks: the Child Protection Code, which obliges platform providers to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3355496/malaysia-bars-under-16s-social-media-new-rules-come-force?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3355496/malaysia-bars-under-16s-social-media-new-rules-come-force?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 02:29:13 +0000 Resty Woro Yuniar Resty Woro Yuniar Jakarta residents have largely welcomed a new police-military campaign against violent street crime, after a wave of brazen motorbike muggings struck fear into Indonesia’s capital. But rights advocates warn that deploying soldiers alongside police blurs a line between law enforcement and military power, reviving memories of extrajudicial killings in a country still haunted by its authoritarian past. On May 15, Jakarta police announced the formation of a special, 24-hour joint patrol task force... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3355461/jakarta-deploys-troops-against-muggers-stirring-dark-memories?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3355461/jakarta-deploys-troops-against-muggers-stirring-dark-memories?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 02:00:27 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Deep in the forested highlands of northern Myanmar, where the Irrawaddy River rises from two tributaries in the hills of Kachin state, a contentious infrastructure project is stirring again – and threatening to reopen wounds that never fully healed. The Myitsone Dam, a US$3.6 billion Chinese-financed hydroelectric megaproject that was shelved more than a decade ago after igniting a storm of popular fury, is back on the table. Myanmar’s military rulers have begun holding public consultations on... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355345/myanmars-china-backed-mega-dam-revival-risks-kachin-rebel-backlash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355345/myanmars-china-backed-mega-dam-revival-risks-kachin-rebel-backlash?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 00:00:14 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A blast on Sunday at a building in northeastern Myanmar said to have been storing explosives for mining has killed more than 45 people, according to rescuers and independent media reports. About 70 other people were injured in the explosion that took place around noon in the village of Kaungtup, in Namhkam township. The area, located about 3 kilometres (2 miles) south of the Chinese border, is under the control of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, an ethnic armed group which has engaged in... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355481/45-killed-myanmars-shan-state-after-blast-mining-explosive-storage-facility?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3355481/45-killed-myanmars-shan-state-after-blast-mining-explosive-storage-facility?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2026 15:09:58 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Members of Asean might have conflicting claims in the South China Sea but mutual trust existed in the bloc, Philippine defence chief Gilberto Teodoro Jnr said on Sunday, singling out Beijing as the biggest obstacle to a code of conduct in the disputed waterway. Teodoro delivered strong words for China in the final panel of the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore, taking aim at Manila’s long-time maritime rival for disregarding an international arbitral tribunal, which ruled in favour... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355456/philippines-says-beijing-main-hurdle-south-china-sea-code-conduct?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355456/philippines-says-beijing-main-hurdle-south-china-sea-code-conduct?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2026 08:02:02 +0000 Kolette Lim Kolette Lim Malaysia’s Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin slammed the international community’s “muted” response on Sunday at a security forum over Norway’s decision to scrap a missile deal with Kuala Lumpur. In a charged speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Khaled said the “deafening silence” on Oslo’s cancellation of the agreement sent a message that certain countries were “simply above scrutiny”, questioning if global rules were subject to the will of bigger powers. Earlier this month, the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355452/malaysia-blasts-conspicuously-muted-response-over-axed-norway-missile-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3355452/malaysia-blasts-conspicuously-muted-response-over-axed-norway-missile-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2026 06:45:23 +0000 Salomé Grouard Salomé Grouard “I cannot come to you,” Katie Williams was told, seconds after her Grab driver had accepted her request for a ride in Canggu. “I cannot come to you. You need to come meet me.” Williams, an Australian tourist in her mid-thirties, explained through the app that her elderly parents struggled to walk very far in the hot Bali sun. The driver’s reply was blunt: “It’s too dangerous. I cannot come.” After two more cancellations, she eventually relented and paid a local driver twice the original... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3355347/why-grab-and-gojek-drivers-fear-balis-no-go-zones?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3355347/why-grab-and-gojek-drivers-fear-balis-no-go-zones?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2026 05:00:05 +0000