The US ambassador to Singapore, Anjani Sinha, has come under fire in the city state for asking businesses to make substantially larger financial contributions as his embassy plans for its July 4 celebrations, despite such fundraising being a standard annual practice of Washingtons diplomats. Observers told This Week in Asia that while soliciting businesses for contributions was not new, it was the language used by the ambassador that drew outrage amid Washingtons more transactional foreign...

Indonesias efforts to deepen trade with the United States while maintaining close economic ties with China are being tested after a report revealed Washington had linked lower tariffs to the purchase of US-made maritime surveillance drones for use near the South China Sea. The development has highlighted the balancing act facing Jakarta, which analysts say is seeking to preserve strategic flexibility as trade negotiations with Washington increasingly intersect with security and geopolitical...

A former Indonesian police officer from an elite paramilitary unit who deserted his post and later claimed he had joined a Russian mercenary force fighting in Ukraine has been stripped of his citizenship, according to authorities. Muhammad Rio, a former member of the Aceh Polices Mobile Brigade Corps (Brimob), a paramilitary arm of Indonesias national police, lost his citizenship after joining a foreign armed force without authorisation, Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas said. Anyone ...

A man reached out to a 21-year-old woman who had declined a job offer from his employer and arranged to meet her for dinner in Singapore. After dinner, they went to a park where the man went into the womans toilet cubicle and sexually assaulted her and attempted to get her to perform sex acts on him. The assault was stopped only when the man heard footsteps outside and left in a hurry. The sex offender, 34-year-old Singaporean Choy Zisheng, was sentenced on Monday to seven years jail and four...

When Singapores trade minister Gan Kim Yong revealed that locals owned nearly 90 per cent of registered retail businesses in the city state while Chinese nationals came in second at a distant 3 per cent, the figures drew mixed reactions from the public and analysts. The discourse online centred on what the statistics implied critics felt that though the proportion of foreign- owned entities, especially from China, might be minuscule, most could actually be big brands with multiple outlets,...

Two Chinese nationals working in Malaysia are facing income tax bills amounting to 748,073.84 ringgit (US$184,595) and 842,118.84 ringgit, respectively, after their employer allegedly used their identities to submit false salary information to the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN). Li Juan, 42, discovered the issue when she tried to extend her work permit, while the other victim, Chen Bi Ling, 40, who was married to a Malaysian, found out about it when she was extending her spouses visa. Speaking ..

Cyberscam networks in Cambodia have freed more than 400 Indonesians this month, Jakarta said on Monday, after Phnom Penh announced a fresh crackdown on the illicit industry. Scammers working from hubs across Southeast Asia, some willingly and others trafficked, lure internet users globally into fake romances and cryptocurrency investments, netting tens of billions of dollars each year. Some foreign nationals have left suspected scam compounds across Cambodia this month as the government ..

The first impeachment complaint against Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr was filed on Monday, a move observers said may be aimed as much at pre- empting stronger challenges as at holding the president to account. Filed by lawyer Andre de Jesus, the complaint accuses Marcos of constitutional violations, corruption and betrayal of public trust, citing alleged failures to veto unconstitutional budget provisions and address anomalous flood-control projects. However, several political ..

Malaysias king has issued a blunt warning to officials, saying his hunt for the corrupt will reach all levels as the country reels from a corruption scandal inside the armed forces that has implicated senior ranks. A former army chief and dozens of other officers and civilians have been arrested in recent weeks as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) seized 52 million ringgit (US$12.8 million) in cash, gold, cars and luxury watches. The anti-corruption body also froze 80 bank...

As silver prices surged past S$100 (US$78) an ounce in recent weeks, Singaporean Faris Ghani saw a long-running bet finally begin to pay off. The 35-year-old relocation consultant has been quietly accumulating the metal since he was 21, betting that silver long overshadowed by gold would one day have its moment. That moment appears to have arrived. On Monday, spot silver traded near record highs of about US$94 an ounce, more than tripling from around US$30 an ounce a year earlier. The surge...

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has nominated his nephew to join the central banks board of governors, two sources said, amid growing concern about its independence as the government seeks more support for ambitious economic targets. Investors have worried that independent monetary policymaking in Southeast Asias largest economy might be under pressure as Prabowo targets economic growth of 8 per cent by 2029, from about 5 per cent now. Those fears grew after Bank Indonesia (BI) unveiled...

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahims record on legal reforms has come under scrutiny after a journalist was detained under a colonial-era Sedition Act for asking a sensitive question linking the Gaza crisis to the treatment of ethnic Chinese in the Malay-majority country. Rex Tan, 31, a journalist for local news site Free Malaysia Today (FMT), was arrested early on Saturday morning after he asked the question at a public debate five days earlier in Kuala Lumpur. Tan is being investigated...

Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr said on Monday that a significant discovery of natural gas had been made near the countrys sole producing offshore site. About 2.8 billion cubic metres (98 billion cubic feet) of natural gas was found 5km (three miles) east of the Malampaya Field near the island of Palawan, Marcos said, or enough to provide power to 5.7 million homes for a year. The Philippines has some of the regions highest energy costs and faces a looming crisis as the Malampaya...

A typical day for Aizat Halim begins at 5am, as he sets out on a drive to his fruit farm in Janda Baik, about 50km (30 miles) from his home in Malaysias capital Kuala Lumpur a distance that reflects the gap between his current and former lives. Farming, the 31-year-old said, was always his first career choice, despite graduating in marketing from colleges in the US and the United Kingdom. In 2020, he started a pineapple farm on family land, leaving a cushy air-conditioned job as a marketing...

Just under a third of Singapore residents in a recent survey by global communication firm Edelman believe that the next generation would be better off than the current one a drop of 11 percentage points from last years findings. The Edelman Trust Barometer 2026 figures showed Singapore as being among four other Asian countries that registered a double-digit decrease, with the city states 31 per cent mark just under the global average of 32 per cent. The 26th edition of the annual survey,...

Talk of the United States acquiring Greenland has often been dismissed as rhetorical provocation. But the latest escalation is harder to wave away. President Donald Trump said it would be unacceptable if the US did not control Greenland only hours before Vice-President J.D. Vance hosted the Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers. When territorial language is paired with senior-level diplomacy, it forces allies to draw public red lines, narrows the space for quiet crisis management, and ..

Indonesian authorities said on Sunday they had located the wreckage of a fisheries surveillance plane that went missing in South Sulawesi province on the slope of a fog-covered mountain, and had recovered the body of one of the 10 people on board. The ATR 42-500 turboprop owned by aviation group Indonesia Air Transport lost contact with air traffic control on Saturday at about 1.30pm local time around the Maros region in South Sulawesi. There were seven crew members and three passengers on...

A peculiar gridlock has settled on Singapores political scene with the position of Leader of the Opposition (LO) vacant after Pritam Singh was removed from the post by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, with public discourse now centred on the constitutional basis, or lack thereof, for the role. Created in 2020 by then prime minister Lee Hsien Loong after Singhs party won a record 10 seats in parliament, the non-statutory position contrasts sharply with its counterpart in Westminster systems, ..

Somewhere on the cavernous loft floor, cooing softly from inside a stack of crates, a feathered fortune waits for its moment to shine. Its basketing day for Asias richest pigeon race, held in Pattaya, eastern Thailand. In 24 hours time, a US$2 million prize pot will be shared among the lucky owners of the birds that find their way home. For now, those hopes are packed tightly, wing to wing, into crates: more than 5,000 perfectly conditioned racers waiting to be scanned, logged and stamped...

Indonesia begins its tenure as president of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) this month under a cloud of contradiction, with officials hailing the prestige of the largely ceremonial role even as activists raise uncomfortable questions about the countrys own rights record. The 47-member body, a subsidiary of the UN General Assembly, has a mandate to promote and protect human rights globally. Indonesias ambassador was elected president on January 8 after being put forward as the AsiaPacific...

Malaysian actress Nadia Kesuma, who went missing upon arrival at King Abdul Aziz International Airport in Jeddah, was confirmed to have died of a heart attack. The news was announced by her daughter via social media, according to Astro Awani. Assalamualaikum everyone, I would like to inform you that my mother, Nadiah Kasumawati Abdul Karim, has returned to Rahmatullah on January 15 at around 8.05am, she said. Thank you to all of you who have not stopped praying for Mama. Please pray that her...

A regional passenger aircraft carrying 11 people lost contact with ground control on Saturday while approaching a mountainous region between Indonesias main island of Java and Sulawesi island, officials said. A search and rescue operation is under way. The turboprop ATR 42-500 operated by Indonesia Air Transport was on the way from Yogyakarta to the capital city of South Sulawesi when it vanished from radar, said Endah Purnama Sari, a spokesperson for the transportation ministry. The plane ..

Thailands ruling party, which is seeking to retain power in next months election, has vowed to resolve the countrys conflict with Cambodia and clean up its image as a transit hub for trafficked scam victims. The conservative Bhumjaithai Party, which took power in September, has cast itself as the most suitable defender of Thai sovereignty during the border dispute between the two Southeast Asian countries. Clashes erupted for five days last July and reignited in December before a...

The inclusion of four Southeast Asian nations in the United States 75-country visa suspension has thrown up questions over Washingtons foreign policy approach, including its interest in the region. Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand are among countries affected by the indefinite suspension, set to take effect on January 21, as the Donald Trump administration continues to roll out punitive measures to drastically restrict immigration. The list, released by the US Department of State on...

Former Free Malaysia Today (FMT) journalist Rex Tan was arrested at about 12.45am on Saturday after being summoned to the Dang Wangi district police headquarters in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. The arrest was confirmed by his lawyer, Rajsurian Pillai, who said Tan was detained under Section 4(1) of the Sedition Act 1948 and Section 505(c) of the Penal Code. It followed a sensitive question alleged to contain racial elements that was raised during a public lecture in Kuala Lumpur. At...

Vietnams leaders convene next week for a once-every-five-years congress, where General Secretary To Lam is looking to cement control over the Communist Party ruling one of Asias fastest-growing economies. The nation of 100 million people is both a repressive one-party state and a regional economic bright spot, with the party seeking to deliver rapid expansion to underpin its claim to legitimacy. But its leaders face challenges from tensions between its main trading partners, the United States...

For the Philippines, 2026 promises to be a roller-coaster ride of political intrigue as President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and his deputy lock horns in an existential clash that risks tanking the economy, dividing military loyalties and derailing Aseans regional diplomacy. It will be a very messy year both in politics and the economy, Philippine Congressman Edgar Erice told This Week in Asia. A showdown now seems all but inevitable: Vice-President Sara Duterte enters 2026 with an approval rating...

A visiting forces military deal to be signed between the Philippines and France has put the focus on operational intimacy, with observers noting that Paris has a presence in the Indo-Pacific and would serve Manilas interests well in the contested waters of the South China Sea. The term was coined by Associated Press correspondent Jim Gomez and confirmed by French Ambassador to Manila Marie Fontanel during a freewheeling discussion on Tuesday at her residence. In a bid to balance the...

The president of Malaysias Umno has denied abandoning disgraced ex-prime minister Najib Razak to save himself, as fissures emerge in the former ruling party over the mixed legal fortunes of two of its top leaders. Umno grass- roots members have urged President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to quit Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahims government in protest after the High Court blocked Najibs bid to serve the remainder of his jail term under house arrest last month. It also handed the one-time party figurehead a...

HSBC Holdings exploration of options for its insurance business in Singapore may lead to a sale of the unit as the group reallocates resources to its insurance business in Hong Kong and mainland China, according to analysts. It makes sense for HSBC to consider an exit from Singapores insurance market to focus on Hong Kong and mainland China, as so many mainlanders are coming to Hong Kong to buy insurance products here, said Kenny Tang Sing-hing, chairman of the Hong Kong Institute of...

The 15-year-old male student accused of murdering his schoolmate at a school in Malaysias Selangor state has been declared fit to stand trial, following a psychiatric evaluation. His lawyer, Kitson Foong, informed the press that he conveyed the reports findings to the Magistrates Court during closed-door proceedings on January 16. The court subsequently ruled that the accused is fit to stand trial and enter his defense. According to the lawyer, the psychiatric report also recommended the teen...

A Malaysian man previously convicted of child abuse has been arrested again on suspicion of forcing his son, 10, to shoplift daily necessities. Police in Bahau, in Negeri Sembilan states Jempol district, were alerted to what initially appeared to be a simple case of theft on Wednesday, The Sun newspaper reported. Staff from a wholesale supermarket had caught the boy trying to steal a 200-gram pack of instant coffee. But officers soon uncovered a troubling pattern of child exploitation, Jempol...

A deadly garbage avalanche in central Philippines last week, which killed 19 and led to more than 20 missing, has prompted outrage from civic and green groups over poor enforcement of environmental laws for contributing to the disaster. On January 8, a mountain of debris collapsed at a 15-hectare landfill in the village of Binaliw, Cebu City, where over 100 sanitation workers were on site. Officials say the tragedy may have been partly caused by recent earthquakes and heavy rains affecting ..

The constant threat of genital mutilation of her daughter and son-in-law by loan sharks was so harrowing that a woman in Malaysia has resorted to disowning her own flesh and blood. The loan sharks are vile. They threatened to sever the private parts of my daughter and her husband, said the 60-year- old housewife who only wanted to be known as Heng. A loan shark also sent me gory photos of people with severed genitals, claiming he had carried out the acts himself. It was so upsetting that I...

Free Malaysia Today (FMT) has issued an apology after one of its reporters posed a question during a public lecture that was believed to have carried racial overtones. In a statement on Wednesday, FMT said that the incident occurred during a public lecture featuring United Kingdom politician George Galloway titled Gaza Exposes the Complicity of International Actors held on January 12. FMT wishes to put on record that it had no prior knowledge of the journalists intention to raise the...

With Myanmar in the throes of an election widely expected to return its military junta to power, calls have renewed for Asean to rethink its approach of not engaging the regime. The region, observers warn, should also brace itself for the very real possibility that half of Southeast Asia might eventually recognise the results of Myanmars election and by extension the ruling junta. On Sunday, Myanmar began its second round of voting in the countrys first general election since the military...

Singapores Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has stripped the Workers Party chief Pritam Singh of his role as the city states first Leader of the Opposition following Singhs conviction for lying under oath to a parliamentary committee. Singh assumed the official role in 2020 following the general election where his party secured a record 10 elected seats in parliament. Then prime minister Lee Hsien Loong announced during a press conference that Singh would be provided with staff and...

Washingtons recent offer of US$45 million in funding to reinforce the Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire is a sign that the US is scrambling to regain the upper hand over China in mediating the rift between the Southeast Asian neighbours, according to analysts. Announcing the funding on Friday, Michael DeSombre, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, said the Thai and Cambodian governments would strive to implement the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords, signed last year when US...

For the very rich, a dream car like a Ferrari, Lamborghini or Porsche used to cost 2.5 million ringgit (US$617,240) in Langkawi, a duty-free island in Malaysias Kedah state. They will now cost about 5 million ringgit. Industry players say the federal governments move to abolish tax exemptions for luxury vehicles priced above 300,000 ringgit in Langkawi is expected to hurt the automotive sector and reduce long-term government revenue. Industry veteran Mohamad Azhar Mohd Jamil said the decision...

A crane collapsed over a Thai highway outside Bangkok, crushing cars and killing two people on Thursday, just a day after another construction crane plunged onto a rail track in the countrys northeast, killing 32 passengers. Thursdays incident occurred just outside Bangkok in Samut Sakhon province, where a crane installed on an under-construction elevated highway toppled onto the busy road below. Dashcam footage shared on social media shows the crane collapse onto unsuspecting drivers in a...