The country’s cannabis industry laments the prime minister’s plans to re-criminalise the plant amid talk of a class action lawsuit and questions of enforceability.
Thailand’s farms are buckling under the high temperatures, while Malaysia braces for ecological impacts like rising dengue cases
From Singapore and Malaysia to Australia, New Zealand and the China-focused clinics of Thailand, would-be parents are finding fertility treatments can take their financial, physical and emotional toll.
Running from conscription, enraged by the military and boosted by the sudden, unexpected scent of victory, Myanmar’s youth have decided they have to either flee the country or join the fight.
The Buddhist kingdom plans to take a punt on legalised gambling as it rues the billions of dollars in untapped gaming revenue that’s been left on the table. But will it hit the jackpot?
With one of the most vibrant start-up ecosystems and fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia, Vietnam is poised to climb the global value chain – but challenges lie in wait.
Around 2 million tonnes of plastic waste is created each year in Thailand, according to official figures, in a nation seemingly addicted to plastic.
Arrival numbers are still way down on pre-pandemic levels, but there are some bright spots on the horizon – as industry insiders ponder who the ‘new’ type of Chinese traveller will be.
A conscription order by Myanmar’s weakened junta has seeded dread among the nation’s youth, with many making plans to flee or join pro-democracy fighters to avoid being drafted.
Critics are concerned that conflict could ensue if Thaksin remains ‘above the law’ amid mounting speculation of his return to politics.
The ceasefire could be in effect for several weeks, spanning Ramadan and the Buddhist Songkran festival.
Mahathir Mohamad and Daim Zainuddin are among the old adversaries to be swept up in a wide-ranging anti-graft probe. Anwar denies he’s had a hand in it. Still, at least one observer says it’s a ‘smart move’.
But the military is likely to ‘fight ever more brutally, the closer it comes to defeat’, analysts say, even as ‘pace of liberation quickens’ in Myanmar.
Thailand is extending opening hours of night entertainment in areas with the highest tourist traffic, as it seeks a return to pre-Covid visitor numbers that stood at a high of 40 million in 2019.
With Modi on course for a third term, Jokowi lining up a new political dynasty and the opposition hamstrung in both Pakistan and Bangladesh, illiberal democracy looks likely to be the biggest winner of this year’s polls.
The region’s governments are unpicking crucial protections in a sector worth billions of export dollars that sends out an armada of boats to compete for catch each day.
Beloved as an affordable, meaty staple of Thai cuisine, the protein-packed ‘pla tu’ was once plentiful in the Gulf of Thailand. But now, some fear it’s in terminal decline.
Despite the danger, some Thais and Sri Lankans see working in Israel as a means to beat the poverty trap in their homelands.
The group, most of Chinese descent, arrived in Kuala Lumpur on a special flight from China’s Kunming.
The junta is facing its gravest challenge from armed groups following their coordinated attacks in Shan State.
The assault by the ‘Three Brotherhood Alliance’ armed group follows recent extensive Chinese operations to take out scam networks along the border.
Beijing has moved to tackle the scam issue, issuing warrants for Chinese fugitives believed to be at the heart of the multibillion-dollar fraud industry.
The fatal shooting in a popular Bangkok shopping centre has prompted the Thai government’s reassurance on tourist safety and calls for tougher gun laws.
Two women – one Chinese, one from Myanmar – were killed in the shooting at Bangkok’s luxury Siam Paragon shopping centre, where police arrested a 14-year-old boy.
In Southeast Asia, the popularity of working as freelance drivers is creating a race to the bottom, amid poor terms and conditions, a saturated market and excessive platform fees.
The killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada has fuelled fears among Sikhs globally about the Khalistan movement getting ‘disproportionate’ amounts of attention.
Chinese nationals, some known fugitives, dominate the gangs that use online gambling, romance, cryptocurrency and foreign-exchange scams to target their victims, many of whom are in China or are part of the diaspora.
Seven of the 10 Chinese suspects arrested in Singapore’s massive money-laundering probe held foreign passports from the likes of Cambodia and Vanuatu, where citizenship can be bought for as little as US$130,000.
The Royal Gazette state journal said 74-year-old billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra had ‘accepted his crime and shown remorse’.
In a parliamentary vote on Tuesday afternoon, Srettha passed the threshold of 375 votes needed to become premier and form the next government.
