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This Week in Asia /

Politics

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Asean
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Supporters of South Korea’s former president Yoon Suk-yeol wave flags near the Seoul High Court in Seoul on Tuesday. Photo: AFP
South Korea

Developing | South Korea’s Yoon given longer sentence for obstructing justice

A court increased the ex-president’s sentence from five to seven years on charges related to his botched martial law bid.

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Singapore

Solidarity or showmanship? Singapore politicians’ train rides split opinion

South Korea

Why South Korea’s Lee is urging ‘mutual respect’ diplomacy amid US tensions

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Asean

Why Malacca Strait tolls are unlikely despite Indonesia’s maritime push

Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore are united in upholding the principle of free passage but this must be ‘actively maintained’, analysts say.

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A worker walks past a liquefied natural gas tanker in the Malacca Strait on April 15. Photo: EPA
A worker walks past a liquefied natural gas tanker in the Malacca Strait on April 15. Photo: EPA
The Philippines

Damage control? Philippines’ Sara Duterte hits back against wealth allegations

The vice-president’s husband has also filed a complaint against senior officials and lawmakers for ‘leaking’ the couple’s bank information.

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Malaysia

State-level rebellion in Malaysia’s Negeri Sembilan tests Anwar’s coalition

Umno-led Barisan Nasional claims to have a simple majority after teaming up with opposition lawmakers amid an attempt to overthrow the ruler.

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Asean

Will Asean’s oil scramble mean Russia builds lasting stronghold in region?

Southeast Asia’s pivot may be for economic reasons, but some analysts warn Moscow could seek to build lasting influence in the region.

A man refuels the tank of a motorcycle at a petrol station in Manila, the Philippines, on April 7. The Strait of Hormuz blockade has resulted in energy shortages in Asia. Photo: AFP
A man refuels the tank of a motorcycle at a petrol station in Manila, the Philippines, on April 7. The Strait of Hormuz blockade has resulted in energy shortages in Asia. Photo: AFP
The Philippines

Philippine court order over Marcos’ health raises constitutional question

The order for Marcos to comment on a petition comes as Duterte’s supporters continue to cast doubts about the president’s fitness.

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Malaysia

Malaysia’s Najib ends house-arrest appeal over 1MDB-linked prison sentence

The withdrawal ends the former prime minister’s attempt to serve out his SRC sentence at home after his jail term was halved in 2024.

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North Korea

North Korea, Russia boost anti-West ‘powerful bulwark’ as Ukraine war drags on

At a memorial for fallen North Korean soldiers who fought in Ukraine, Moscow offers to renew a military pact with Pyongyang.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un delivers a speech in Pyongyang on Sunday as Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov (left) and State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin (second left) listen during a ceremony to launch a museum dedicated to North Korean soldiers who fought in the Ukraine war. Photo: KCNA/EPA
Malaysia

Malaysian state in political crisis after Umno pulls support for chief minister

The Negeri Sembilan spat has shone the spotlight on increasingly fragile ties within Prime Minister Anwar’s coalition government.

Negeri Sembilan ruler Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir. Photo: YouTube
Negeri Sembilan ruler Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir. Photo: YouTube
Malaysia

At Malaysia’s arms bazaar, drone dealers chase Southeast Asian market share

‘Drone warfare is the future,’ say arms dealers in Kuala Lumpur – and the region’s militaries are buying in.

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South Korea

Will South Korea or Japan develop a nuclear deterrent of their own?

Seven in 10 South Koreans tell pollsters they want the bomb. Japan’s PM refuses to rule it out. Is ‘friendly proliferation’ next?

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India

India-Germany defence road map ‘good template’ for wider EU cooperation

Deeper defence ties are expected to boost India’s maritime modernisation efforts and Europe’s security role in the Indo-Pacific, experts say.

Submarine U-34 is docked in a shipyard of warship maker TKMS in Kiel, Germany, on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters
Malaysia

Malaysia gets new anti-corruption chief as protests mount against outgoing head

Former High Court judge Abdul Halim Aman takes the reins of MACC from Azam Baki amid scandals.

Protesters against Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) boss Azam Baki march through central Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. SCMP/Iman Muttaqin Yusof
Protesters against Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) boss Azam Baki march through central Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. SCMP/Iman Muttaqin Yusof
US, Israel war on Iran

Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt: the Middle East’s new power brokers?

‘Fear of US abandonment’ is helping forge a new Middle East – but don’t expect an Islamic Nato just yet.

Japan

3 killed in Japanese Type 10 tank blast that has military baffled

A round detonating inside a tank turret is virtually unheard of. The last time it happened in Japan was in 1979.

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India

Chinese drone discovery sharpens focus on Asia’s undersea security race

Experts say India is playing ‘steady catch-up’ in boosting undersea surveillance, while Southeast Asian nations’ capabilities differ widely.

South and Southeast Asian nations are stepping up capabilities to boost undersea surveillance and defend deep-sea cables, analysts say. Photo: Shutterstock
South and Southeast Asian nations are stepping up capabilities to boost undersea surveillance and defend deep-sea cables, analysts say. Photo: Shutterstock
The Philippines

Robredo’s 2028 snub leaves Philippine opposition scrabbling for ‘saviour’

A March survey showed that the popularity gap between Leni Robredo and presidential front runner Sara Duterte-Carpio had narrowed.

Indonesia

Is Indonesia’s blasphemy law for religious protection or political purpose?

The law has come under the spotlight after complaints filed against a former vice-president over his comments on sectarian violence.

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Cambodia

US slaps sanctions on Cambodian senator suspected of controlling scam centres

The sanction freezes all US assets linked to Senator Kok An and his named associates, and bars any American national from dealing with them.

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Equipment used at a scam centre in Phnom Penh in March. This year Cambodia has conducted the largest crackdown on scam bases since the crisis emerged during the pandemic. Photo: AP
The Philippines

‘We owe it to the world’: Philippines pushes for South China Sea code this year

Talks between Asean and China to agree on setting rules for maritime behaviour and crisis management under the code have stalled.

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A Chinese coastguard vessel (right) fires its water cannon at the Philippine BRP Datu Pagbuaya near Philippines-occupied Thitu island, locally called Pag-asa island, at the South China Sea last October. Photo: Philippine coastguard via AP
A Chinese coastguard vessel (right) fires its water cannon at the Philippine BRP Datu Pagbuaya near Philippines-occupied Thitu island, locally called Pag-asa island, at the South China Sea last October. Photo: Philippine coastguard via AP
US, Israel war on Iran

Why US tanker blockades are raising risks for Southeast Asian strait controllers

The bigger risk is not of the Iran war spilling into their waters, but the strain of operating in more contested sea lanes, analysts say.

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India

A Delhi-Dhaka thaw? India opens door to Sheikh Hasina extradition talks

The former Bangladeshi leader and close Indian ally remains ‘a strategic asset for Delhi’, an analyst says.

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The Philippines

How fake job ads in Philippines led to alleged spy recruitment pipeline

The ads, some of which experts say were linked to China, aimed to get unsuspecting Filipino defence specialists to give up key information.

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The Janes ads appeared to be part of efforts linked to China to draw unsuspecting Filipino defence specialists into giving up key information. Photo: Handout
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