A rare visit by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr to Japan this week marks Manilas latest bid to establish a counterweight to Beijing over the South China Sea dispute. During the four-day trip, the first state visit by a Philippine leader to Japan in over a decade, Marcos is expected to discuss boosting defence and other ties between Manila and Tokyo amid the security challenge posed by Chinas growing maritime assertiveness, according to analysts. Marcos will meet Japanese Prime...

Cambodias acting head of state, former prime minister Hun Sen, pardoned opposition leader Kem Sokha on Monday from a sentence of almost three decades for treason. Kem Sokha, who was convicted of trying to topple the former long- ruling leaders government and sentenced to 27 years, is pardoned, Hun Sen posted on social media alongside a royal decree signed by him. Hun Sen, who ruled Cambodia for nearly four decades, stepped down as prime minister in 2023 and handed power to his eldest son, Hun...

A new US immigration policy could force many green card applicants to leave the country and apply from abroad, disrupting families, careers and long-term settlement plans for Asian workers already facing years-long backlogs for visas. US Citizenship and Immigration Services said on May 22 that it would only grant adjustment of status the process that allows prospective immigrants already in the US to apply for permanent residence without leaving the country in extraordinary...

Philippine rescuers were racing against time on Monday in a search for possible signs of life more than 24 hours after the collapse of a building under construction in the city of Angeles, with crews carefully removing rocks and surrounding debris by hand. The painstaking manual operation around 80 km (50 miles) north of the capital Manila underscored the difficulty of the rescue effort, carried out under scorching heat, with authorities unable to rely on excavators and other machinery for ..

The desperate search for seven villagers in Laos prospecting for gold who became trapped deep inside a flooded cave entered a sixth day on Monday, with the incident highlighting how surging prices have sparked a rush for the precious metal despite risks in unstable hillside mines. Thai cave rescue teams have joined the mission at the cave in central Xaysomboun province, posting harrowing images on social media of the conditions, which include crawling through a flooded, narrow tunnel leading ..

A dispute over where churches and temples can operate in Malaysias richest state has become an awkward political test for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahims ruling coalition, which came to power promising to protect the countrys multiracial and multi-faith society. The row centres on planning guidelines in Selangor, a wealthy and densely populated state surrounding Kuala Lumpur, that critics say could restrict non-Islamic places of worship in commercial areas, where many religious groups have long...

A high-profile alleged sexual abuse case within a wealthy Thai beer brewing family has prompted a wave of painful accounts from survivors of unconnected abuse in the conservative country. Siranudh Scott, a fourth-generation member of the billionaire Thai family that founded the ubiquitous Singha beer brand, posted an emotional video this month accusing his older brother Sunit of repeatedly abusing him when he was a teenager. Sunit, who is in his thirties, later denied the allegations in a ..

Singapore train operator SMRT will be stepping up pest control measures at its stations and depots after a video circulating online showed a rat on one of its trains. In the video posted on social media on Saturday, a rat is seen scurrying around the cabin of a train as two people attempt to corner it. People are also seen lifting their legs to avoid it as it scurries past them. SMRT is aware of a post online about a rat sighting on board one of our trains on the East-West Line, said SMRT...

Three people were killed and one was injured in an accident during lifeboat maintenance work at a floating storage and offloading (FSO) vessel operated by Malaysian state energy firm Petronas on Sunday, the firm said. Petronas, or Petroliam Nasional Berhad, said in a statement on Monday the incident occurred around 12.50pm at FSO Sepat off Terengganu state on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Three workers were pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital, while the injured staff member...

Singapores economy expanded faster than expected in the first quarter as the global artificial-intelligence boom lifted the nations manufacturing and services, offsetting the drag from higher crude prices. Gross domestic product grew a seasonally adjusted 1 per cent in the three months through March from the previous quarter, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) said on Monday. That is well above the governments advance estimate of a 0.3 per cent contraction and the median forecast of a...

Southeast Asia has been planning a unified electricity grid since 1997. Now, nearly 30 years later, its leaders are giving renewed impetus to the push to get energy flowing seamlessly across borders and seabeds. In Cebu earlier this month, leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations put the power grids development high on their summit agenda, aiming to better insulate the region against the next big energy shock. But as regional governments try to turn the decades-long dream of an...

Rescuers clawed through the wreckage of a collapsed Philippines building on Sunday which left 23 people missing, with authorities saying that screams were heard from under the rubble. Two of those feared trapped were communicating with rescuers on Sunday, said an official in Angeles City, about 80km (50 miles) north of Manila. City information officer Jay Pelayo said the nine- storey buildings walls and scaffolding buckled, likely trapping people in a pile of debris. Our rescuers are doing...

A US plan to build an AI-native industrial hub in the Philippines has highlighted the political sensitivities around Washingtons push to secure critical technology supply chains, after Manila rejected proposals for the zone to be governed by US laws or covered by diplomatic protections. Philippine officials said the planned economic security zone under Washingtons Pax Silica initiative would remain covered by local laws, clarifying that there would be no special arrangement for the...

Thailands navy has to watch two seas at once. To the east lies the Gulf of Thailand, with its busy shipping lanes, offshore energy interests and long coastal frontier with Cambodia. To the west is the Andaman Sea, a gateway to the Indian Ocean with its own trade routes, chokepoints and strategic pressures. That twin-sea geography has long given the Royal Thai Navy a role larger than its public profile might suggest. It also underpins the navys stated goal, laid out in a 2023 white paper, to...

Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio has twice in recent weeks urged the countrys armed forces to defend its sovereignty, in a carefully calibrated attempt to sound more assertive on the South China Sea issue without directly challenging Beijing, according to analysts. While Duterte-Carpio did not name China, her repeated calls marked a tonal shift from her earlier approach, when she either avoided the issue or warned against letting it define Manilas broader relationship with...

For many Indonesians who have built careers abroad, Nadiem Makarim once represented a particular kind of homecoming success story. The Brown and Harvard University-educated co-founder of Gojek had walked away from the start-up world to serve in government, bringing with him the aura of Indonesias technology boom and the promise that private-sector talent could help modernise the state. Now, with prosecutors seeking an 18-year prison sentence for the former education minister in a corruption...

On Great Nicobar, a remote island located closer to Indonesia than mainland India, New Delhi is embarking on one of its biggest developments in decades. The US$9 billion project is intended to transform the countrys southernmost tip into a major transport hub comprising a transhipment port, an international airport and associated logistical facilities. Spread across 166 sq km (64 square miles), the project in Indias Andaman and Nicobar archipelago is slated for completion over three decades,...

The Javan and Sumatran rhinos are down to their last few dozen, just like the Cat Ba langur of Vietnam, while the soala living in Laos Annamite mountains may already be gone for good. Southeast Asias remarkable biodiversity is under severe threat from the encroachment of cities and farms, deforestation, warming seas and the trafficking of rare wildlife for food, traditional medicines and as pets. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) told This Week in Asia that more than...

Former Malaysian economy minister Rafizi Ramlis breakaway gamble is unlikely to bring down Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on its own, analysts say, but it could still wound the ruling coalition by peeling away reformist voters who helped Pakatan Harapan (PH) take power in 2022. Rafizi and former natural resources and environmental sustainability minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad announced on Sunday that they would quit Anwars People Justice Party (PKR), vacate their parliamentary seats and take over...

Financial news outlet Bloomberg harboured unprecedented malice in the publication and handling of an article about the purchase of good class bungalows in Singapore, lawyers for two Singaporean cabinet ministers alleged on Friday during closing statements in a defamation lawsuit. Senior counsel Davinder Singh said the case was unprecedented in terms of ill intent and aggravation, seeking damages exceeding those against The Online Citizen chief editor Terry Xu, who was ordered to pay S$574,000...

Vietnam auctioned off two Hermes handbags owned by real estate tycoon Truong My Lan, convicted in the nations largest fraud case, for 14.21 billion dong (US$539,000) as efforts to claw back billions of dollars in ill-gotten wealth accelerate. The government is auditing assets owned by Lan and her affiliates to recoup billions in losses after courts ordered her to repay US$27 billion in damages. Lan has so far repaid a total of more than 12 trillion dong to about 42,000 bondholders with more...

Chinas landmark Pinglu Canal has entered its final phase of construction and is set to begin trial operations as early as September, with a first shipping route linking the countrys heartlands to the free-trade port of Hainan, according to Chinese state media reports. The Pinglu Canal Chinas most ambitious waterway project in centuries will stretch 134km (83 miles) from Nanning, capital of the southern Guangxi region, to the Gulf of Tonkin, known as the Beibu Gulf in China. The aim is to...

A scam syndicate has been renting a bungalow in an upmarket area in Malaysias Johor state and using AI to carry out job scams all the way in Spain. Police uncovered their activities when they arrested a total of 35 Chinese nationals during a raid at the bungalow in Gelang Patah at 11.50pm on May 14. Iskandar Puteri OCPD Assistant Commissioner M. Kumarasan said the suspects, aged between 21 and 39, used artificial intelligence technology and ready-made language templates to communicate with...

As robots become more advanced to carry out complex tasks, they are set to be at the forefront of the next phase of Singapores goal to become a world-class artificial intelligence hub. The city state hopes to position itself as a hub for physical AI robots and autonomous systems that can clean buildings, deliver goods, patrol public spaces and eventually work in factories, hospitals and homes. Singapores stable regulatory environment, strong digital infrastructure and experience deploying...

The Philippine justice chief ordered authorities on Thursday to enforce an International Criminal Court warrant for the arrest of a senator wanted on an alleged crime against humanity. He warned that anyone helping the senator evade a nationwide hunt would face criminal charges. Senator Ronald Dela Rosa is a fugitive from justice, Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida said in a news conference. He should be brought to the ICC to face the charges. Dela Rosa is a former national police chief who...

As high fuel prices and disruption from the Middle East conflict force many Asian carriers to cut capacity and rearrange routes, Singapore Airlines (SIA) is moving in the opposite direction: adding long-haul flights to Europe in a bid to capture traffic from its Gulf rivals. Aviation analysts said the carriers expansion reflected a rare combination in the region: a strong balance sheet, insulation from sudden jumps in fuel prices due to its hedging strategy and a hub in Singapore that could...

Malaysias internet regulator issued a statutory demand to TikTok on Thursday after a fake account allegedly used artificial intelligence to insult the countrys king, including posts falsely claiming he ate pork and manipulated images pairing his face with animal bodies. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said in a statement that TikTok had failed to take sufficient and timely action against offensive and defamatory content targeting the countrys royal...

The United States has denied any role in Norways decision to cancel a missile sale to Malaysia, saying it had supported the acquisition, after the dispute raised questions over Washingtons influence on weapons deals involving American-made components. The dispute centres on Naval Strike Missiles (NSMs) built by Norways Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace for a fleet of new Malaysian combat ships, with Kuala Lumpur saying it had already paid 95 per cent of the contract, valued at 126 million...

The medical condition of Thai Princess Bajrakitiyabha has worsened as a result of multiple infections in several organs, with doctors unable to contain her irregular heart rate, the Royal Palace said in a statement on Thursday. The 47-year-old princess and eldest daughter of King Maha Vajiralongkorn was taken to hospital in December 2022, after she collapsed from a heart condition and other infections. She has been in a coma ever since. After years of treatment, doctors discovered a...

Singapores plan to trial weaponised unmanned drones has put a spotlight on Southeast Asias fast-growing interest in systems that can track and strike at targets without putting operators directly in harms way. But as countries race to upgrade their drone and counter-drone capabilities, analysts say regulation, transparency and confidence-building will be crucial to prevent accidents or miscalculations that could fuel regional tensions. Singapore announced on Thursday that it would start...

Singapores push to prepare workers for artificial intelligence is facing a stern test after Meta and Standard Chartered announced lay-offs this week, fuelling debate over how far AI is already reshaping jobs in the city state. The cuts have made one question more urgent for Singapore: can its goal to train workers to take on new or redesigned roles keep pace with increased use of AI and automation by companies as they reduce headcounts? Meta employees in Singapore reportedly began receiving...

Indonesia will require exports of key commodities to pass through a state- appointed enterprise in a sweeping effort to curb revenue leaks, tighten oversight of natural resources and keep more foreign exchange earnings at home. The policy, announced by President Prabowo Subianto in a rare address to parliament on Wednesday, would apply to palm oil, coal and ferroalloys three major export earners for Southeast Asias largest economy. Under the new regulation, producers would have to sell their...

Malaysias unity government will remain intact until the end of its term amid speculation of snap elections, according to Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil. Barisan Nasional, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah and Gabungan Parti Sarawak have given their commitment that they will support this government till the end of its term, Fahmi said on Wednesday after a cabinet meeting. This commitment reflects the priority given to the interests of the people and the country, while enabling the government to...

The Philippine Supreme Court refused on Wednesday to block the arrest of a fugitive senator wanted by the International Criminal Court over his role in the nations deadly drug war. The interim ruling clears the way for the potential arrest of Senator Ronald dela Rosa, the former national police chief who was the main enforcer of ex-president Rodrigo Dutertes crackdown. The Supreme Court, in a vote of 9-5-1, denied the prayer for a temporary restraining order and/or status quo ante order filed...

Two years after severe turbulence left one passenger dead and dozens injured on a Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight, investigators have released their final report, addressing major questions about what caused the disaster. Flight SQ321, travelling from London to Singapore, was diverted to Bangkok so passengers and crew could receive medical treatment. In the immediate aftermath, multiple analysts attributed the incident to clear-air turbulence invisible pockets of air that can occur at high...

Viral zombie vape videos of young Malaysian men appearing dazed and disoriented after vaping have intensified concern that drug-laced liquids are spreading through the countrys booming e-cigarette market. The clips, shared widely on social media over the past month, showed local men slumped on the ground or behaving erratically after allegedly inhaling piu-piu or piao-piao (online slang for drug-laced vape liquids). At least two viral cases triggered arrests and fresh police warnings...

Governments across Asia are tightening border screening and quarantine preparedness as health authorities work to contain a growing Ebola outbreak in Central Africa. Several governments have expanded screening and reporting requirements for travellers arriving from affected countries, though officials say the likelihood of local transmission remains low and no cases have been publicly confirmed in Asia. In Hong Kong, a Lantau Island isolation facility used for quarantine during the Covid-19...

Norways revocation of export licences for a naval missile system sold to Malaysia has thrust into sharp relief the United States ability to kill an arms deal between two other sovereign nations simply by restricting components its own industries supplied. Analysts suspect a gyroscope used in the guidance system of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospaces Naval Strike Missile and other US- made components are the reason Malaysias navy will not be receiving the weapons it contracted for and paid nearly...

Indonesia continues to notch one grim milestone after another. The latest: losing its status as Southeast Asias largest stock market to Singapore. The total market capitalisation of Indonesian-listed companies has fallen well over 30 per cent from a peak in January to US$618 billion, while Singapores has climbed to US$645 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Investor sentiment in Indonesia has increasingly soured in recent months amid uncertainties over a potential equities...