Asia

Singapore remains open to considering chemical castration as a measure to tackle sex crimes if there is clear evidence that it is effective in reducing crime, Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam has said. However, the evidence so far was inconclusive, he said in a written parliamentary reply on Tuesday. “We remain open to considering measures including pharmacological anti-androgen treatments, also known as chemical castrations, if it is clear that such measures are effective in bringing down...

South Korea said on Tuesday it had sent a fact-finding team to assess the situation in the Strait of Hormuz, stressing no decision had been made about potential troop deployment to the strategic waterway. Traffic through the vital shipping route has been virtually paralysed since the US-Iran war began on February 28, disrupting global energy markets. The South Korean defence ministry said it had “dispatched a fact-finding team to assess conditions on the ground in the Strait of Hormuz”. “The...

Thai authorities arrested 12 South Koreans and a Chinese national accused of running a scam call centre from a high-end rented house south of Bangkok, police said on Tuesday. The alleged scammers “entered Thailand from a neighbouring country and were hiding in Samut Prakan province, renting a luxury house”, Thai police said in a statement, without naming the country. Cambodia and Myanmar, which border Thailand, have become hubs for criminal groups operating fake romance, investment and other...

The eruption of Anak Krakatoa in Indonesia has tested the country’s disaster preparedness, disrupting nearly 3,000 flights carrying more than 340,000 passengers as volcanic ash spread across the region. Authorities say they are monitoring the volcano, which remains under the country’s second-highest alert status. According to scientists, the event’s exceptional scale makes its impact hard to anticipate. The eruption has renewed debate on whether Indonesia’s monitoring and disaster planning can...

China is expected to slow sugar imports for the rest of the year as concerns grow over a global supply crunch and higher prices, with Thailand – the world’s second-largest exporter – facing a sharp drop in production. The world’s second-largest economy relies on imports for about a third of its sugar supply, though high domestic stockpiles are expected to cushion the impact. Analysts estimated only moderate increases in local prices for the sweetener, which is considered a strategic agricultural...

Malaysia’s reported move to use chips from Chinese tech giant Huawei in its 2 billion ringgit (US$494 million) sovereign AI project could test the export-control commitments it signed with Washington last year, analysts say. The move could complicate Kuala Lumpur’s long-running effort to work with both American and Chinese technology firms, particularly as Washington pushes US AI systems across Southeast Asia. Bloomberg reported on Monday that Malaysia was seriously evaluating Huawei’s Ascend...

The Philippines has launched a five-year road map to expand its share of the global semiconductor and electronics sector, but capacity challenges and political stability are potential stumbling blocks, analysts say. The Philippine Semiconductor and Electronics Industry road map, launched by the Philippines’ Semiconductor and Electronics Industry Advisory Council (SEIAC) on September 2, aims to grow annual exports of chips and electronics to US$110 billion by 2030, and move beyond manufacturing...

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Southeast Asia’s scam gangs regroup after Cambodia’s crackdown Cambodia says it has flushed out a scam industry estimated to have stolen tens of billions of US dollars last year alone, but a string of arrests in recent days suggests the gangs behind it may have simply...

Although President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a brief exchange last week at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, the real action will unfold later this week at the Brics summit when Xi arrives in New Delhi with an expected delegation of 400 officials. China is one of India’s top trading partners, yet it remains unclear whether Chinese companies are welcome as investors in India. The two countries’ trade and investment relationship...

A Malaysian court has nearly doubled jail time for a woman who stabbed her boyfriend to death for demanding sex after ruling that the sentencing court had been “over-sympathetic” towards the accused. The Court of Appeal increased the prison sentence for the woman, identified only as Shy to protect her identity, from the six and a half years imposed by the Johor Bahru High Court to 12 years, Free Malaysia Today news portal reported on Tuesday. Evrol Mariette Peters, one of the three judges in the...

Dozens of young people congregated at Nepal’s burnt-out parliament building on Tuesday to mark the anniversary of deadly anti-corruption protests that toppled the former government. The gathering in memory of those who died in the demonstrations came as the Himalayan nation continues to mourn the vast loss of life from devastating floods two weeks ago. The rallies on September 8-9, 2025, were initially sparked by anger over a brief government ban on social media but were driven by deeper...

Martin Romualdez, a cousin of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, accumulated so much wealth over the past three years that he had to convert it into mansions and shares to avoid scrutiny, the Office of the Ombudsman alleged on Tuesday – a day after filing a plunder case against the former House speaker. The Ombudsman filed the case on Monday against Romualdez, former House appropriations committee chairman Zaldy Co and two others, accusing them of accepting at least 7.44 billion pesos...

A grass-roots group associated with Australia’s ruling Labor Party has called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government to break from “the American war machine” and pursue an independent defence policy for the future. Traditional security allies Canberra and Washington have deepened their military ties in recent years, including through troop deployments and the trilateral Aukus pact, which also involves the United Kingdom. ⁠Some American defence personnel are also stationed at a naval...

Vietnam’s president and Communist Party chief travels to Russia and France this week, on a trip analysts say is designed to do double duty: shore up support for Hanoi’s claims in the South China Sea and help bankroll its bid to become a high-income economy by 2045. To Lam’s itinerary encompasses talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow before flying to Paris to meet French President Emmanuel Macron and attend an International Space Summit from Wednesday. By engaging two opposing...

Singapore’s transport minister on Tuesday defended Singapore Airlines’ investment in Air India, saying the city state’s flag carrier must grow overseas because there is a limit to how many people will fly to or from Singapore. Responding ‌to a question in parliament, Minister Jeffrey Siow said the flag carrier was a listed company that funded investments from its own balance sheet and it had not sought further capital from shareholders. The airline is majority owned by Singapore state investor...

Singapore’s ministers will receive gradual pay increases following a 60 per cent jump in their baseline salary benchmarks, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has announced. The entry-level ministerial salary benchmark will rise to S$1.8 million (US$1.4 million) from S$1.1 million, while the prime minister’s pay benchmark will increase to S$3.6 million from S$2.2 million, in line with recommendations made by an independent committee. Wong said during a ministerial statement in parliament on Tuesday...

Taradevi Tamang’s village exists on official maps, but on the ground, it looks as though it was never there at all. Two weeks ago, raging floodwaters ripped through her village in central Nepal’s Nuwakot district, sweeping away Tamang’s tin-roofed home alongside the modest savings and gold jewellery she had accumulated over the years. The Trishuli River also washed away her family’s main source of income: 265 piglets and 34 wild boars. Tamang, 50, is among roughly 3,500 people currently...

Australia is in the process of finalising a treaty with another Pacific island nation, with the national broadcaster reporting that Canberra has struck an “in-principle” agreement with the Solomon Islands. The two nations will work to sign the deal in the coming weeks, Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported, citing unidentified government officials. The news comes after Solomons Prime Minister Matthew Wale saw off a challenge to his leadership from within his cabinet, with the rival...

South Korean citizens’ groups have called for the abuse of wartime “comfort women” to be recognised by Unesco, as analysts say the ongoing feud between Seoul and Tokyo threatens to upset recent improvements in their relations. They also suggest that the two nations would benefit from working together at a time of unprecedented regional and global security and economic challenges, although they admit that may be impossible. On Sunday, a coalition of South Korean citizens’ groups called on the...

While the announcement last week of the closure of a 40-year-old mall in Singapore’s Marina Bay district for redevelopment has caused an outpouring of sentiment among shoppers and tenants, experts say the prime real estate has to be updated into a mixed-use site to survive in the city state. Last Monday, property developer Singapore Land Group (SingLand) said in a statement that Marina Square, which was completed in 1986, would close on March 31 for a redevelopment that would include features...

Indonesia had planes flying again on Tuesday after a volcanic eruption forced the country’s major airports to close for days, with authorities saying that flights would resume gradually. The disruption, caused by the eruption of Anak Krakatoa, halted nearly 3,000 flights and stranded more than 340,000 passengers. Ash from Anak Krakatoa, which sits halfway between ‌Java and Sumatra islands, has blanketed Jakarta and some surrounding areas since its initial eruption late on Friday. The country’s...

Japan will substantially raise its fees for residence permits next month. Depending on the period of stay applied for, renewing or changing one’s residency status could cost as much as ¥75,000 (US$480). The application fee for permanent residency will rise to ¥200,000 from ¥10,000. The government is also tightening the requirements for permanent residency. Applicants are already expected to be able to support themselves. New criteria proposed include an above-average household income, sufficient...

The suspected murderers of two Australian surfers and an American at a Mexican surfing hotspot went on trial Monday, two years after their killings in a suspected robbery. Australian brothers Jake and Callum Robinson, aged 30 and 33, respectively, and 30-year-old American friend Jack Carter Rhoad were on a surfing trip to Mexico’s Pacific coast when they were shot dead in Baja California state. They had been camping in a remote beachside area when they were attacked in April 2024. Their bodies...

North Korea and Russia opened their first road bridge on Monday in a carefully choreographed display of friendship. The structure, which crosses the Tumen river, has been cast by both sides as an important milestone ‌in their deepening strategic partnership. The first flag-adorned trucks trundled across the 1km (0.6-mile) long two-lane bridge as Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and North Korea’s Premier Pak Thae Song tuned in by video link to address workers and government officials from...

Japan’s tourist hotspot Shinjuku will impose a ban on more than half of its holiday rentals, including homes on Airbnb, after a surge in complaints about visitors, an official has said. Known for its buzzing commercial and entertainment district in the Japanese capital Tokyo, Shinjuku has about 4,000 short-term rentals, according to the ward’s official website. That is nearly 10 per cent of the country’s total. But its large residential population has become increasingly exasperated with...

China will impose provisional anti-dumping duties of up to 99.2 per cent on Japanese dichlorosilane, a critical chemical used in chipmaking, after an eight-month investigation found that dumped imports had harmed local manufacturers. The Ministry of Commerce announced the preliminary ruling on Monday, saying importers of dichlorosilane originating from Japan would be required to pay corresponding cash deposits from Tuesday. Shipments from Denal Silane, a manufacturer of semiconductor speciality...

Malaysian police have contacted Islamist opposition leader Abdul Hadi Awang over his explosive claim that the United States once offered to help his party topple the government – an allegation Washington has flatly dismissed as false. The controversy erupted after Hadi told thousands of delegates at the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) congress in Kelantan on Saturday that American representatives had approached party leaders when Barack Obama visited Malaysia in 2014. Hadi’s political...

Nepal is seeking financial aid following the catastrophic flood that killed hundreds of people and caused billions of dollars in economic losses, tapping a global financial mechanism established to address the impacts of climate change in developing countries. Kathmandu has formally requested the UN-backed Fund for responding to Loss and Damage to “respond rapidly, directly and effectively” amid the country’s worst natural disaster in decades. In a letter signed by Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle...

Philippine prosecutors filed a criminal charge on Monday against a lawmaker and cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr over his alleged involvement in a massive corruption scandal involving bogus flood-control projects. The case came more than a year after Marcos put the so-called “ghost” infrastructure projects, believed to have cost Filipino taxpayers billions of dollars, centre stage in a public address. Several construction firm owners, government officials and politicians have been...

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s promise to unveil more projects in eight months’ time at the launch of the country’s second modern destroyer hints at another major strategic military asset, according to experts. “The nuclearisation of our navy is being realised, making it increasingly suited, diversified and practical for the use of our deterrent,” Kim said while commissioning the Kang Kon in the southeastern port of Wonsan on Sunday. Kim was accompanied by his daughter and potential...