3 h. ago Singapore hospital counters woman’s illegal restraint, forced injection claims

Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Singapore on Tuesday defended the actions of a clinical team that attended to one of its patients after the woman claimed that she was mistreated at the hospital. “We are aware of recent online posts by a patient alleging that her treatment at our hospital was insensitive and inappropriate. We take the allegations seriously,” the hospital said in a social media post. “Our clinical team’s actions were guided by our foremost duty to ensure the safety and well-being of the...

Events

10 h. ago Why South Korea’s Gen Z are falling prey to the scam gangs of Southeast Asia

A growing number of young South Koreans are vanishing into Southeast Asia’s criminal underworld, lured by the promise of high-paying jobs – only to end up trafficked, tortured or killed. Many, fleeing a stagnant labour market at home, are being deceived by transnational crime syndicates into running online scams and illegal gambling operations. Others join willingly in search of easy money. But all eventually find themselves exploited, victims of criminal enterprises that span the lawless border...

Events

25 h. ago ‘Light in our darkest days’: mum of slain Malaysian schoolgirl moved by support

Wong Lee Ping, the grieving mother of 16-year-old Yap Shing Xuen, whose brutal murder on October 14 shocked Malaysia, has expressed profound gratitude for the outpouring of community support, describing it as a beacon of light in our darkest hour. “We are truly touched and humbled by the outpouring of love, support, and presence from all of you during this painful period. Your care has been a light in our darkest days,” Wong expressed in a touching message shared on social media following her...

Politics

26 h. ago Sea CEO sees path to US$1 trillion market cap with help of AI

Sea founder Forrest Li told employees a trillion dollar market capitalisation – an increase of about 10 times – is possible as the Southeast Asia e-commerce leader joins tech companies globally betting on artificial intelligence for growth. In a memo to staff Monday, seen by Bloomberg News, Li compared the rapid growth of AI to the personal computer and smartphone revolutions that expanded consumer access to products and services once available only to the wealthy. But Li said it would not be...

Economics

29 h. ago At China’s Canton Fair, exporters sense a warming trend in yuan settlements

At the ongoing autumn edition of the Canton Fair in Guangzhou – China’s oldest and largest trade exhibition – Chinese exporters are noticing a quietly spreading shift: an increasing number of overseas clients, particularly from emerging markets such as Southeast Asia, Central Asia and Africa, are proactively proposing to settle trade orders in yuan. Wang Lilin, sales director at diesel generator manufacturer Keypower, said the company had seen a clear rise in yuan settlements over the past two...

Events

34 h. ago How Hong Kong pair landed in Myanmar scam farm ‘living a life worse than death’

Having lived in safe Hong Kong all her life, Nancy never imagined that an overseas job would lead to forced labour in a scam farm, a harrowing experience that lasted for half a year before she could be reunited with her family. “I was living a life worse than death, surviving purely by willpower,” said Nancy, who is in her twenties. Like thousands of others lured to Southeast Asian scam farms, Nancy was hoping to make some quick money when a “friend” referred her for a job making cross-border...

Events

54 h. ago Myanmar junta raids scam hub powered by Elon Musk’s Starlink

Myanmar’s junta raided one of the country’s most notorious internet scam centres and seized Starlink devices, it said on Monday, after an investigation had revealed an explosion in their use in the billion-dollar black market. Internet sweat shops where workers scam unsuspecting foreigners with business or romance schemes have thrived in war-ravaged Myanmar’s lawless border regions since the coronavirus pandemic. A transnational push by Thai, Chinese and Myanmar authorities starting in February...

Politics

3 d. ago Sanctioned Russian tanker appears to transfer LNG off Malaysia

A dark tanker carrying liquefied natural gas from a US-sanctioned Russian export plant has positioned itself for a rare open-water fuel transfer off the coast of Malaysia, satellite images show, in a demonstration of the increasingly circuitous routes taken by Moscow to evade Western restrictions. The Perle, which was sanctioned by the US earlier this year, is currently anchored parallel to another vessel about 90 kilometres (55 miles) east of the Malaysian peninsula, according to Sentinel-2...

Events

3 d. ago Storm landfall leaves 1 dead as thousands evacuate in Philippines

A tropical storm lashed the northern and central Philippines on Sunday, leaving at least one person dead and forcing more than 22,000 people to evacuate from flood- and landslide-prone villages, officials said. Tropical Storm Fengshen was tracked at midday over Manila Bay with sustained winds of up to 65kph (40 mph) and gusts of up to 90kph (56 mph). It was expected to move away from the main northern Philippine region of Luzon on Sunday night, government forecasters said. A villager drowned on...

Events

3 d. ago Tropical Storm Fengshen kills 8 in Philippines, heads for China

A tropical storm lashed the northern and central Philippines on Sunday, leaving at least eight people dead and forcing more than 22,000 people to evacuate from flood- and landslide-prone villages. Authorities warned that tropical Storm Fengshen may intensify as it heads for China and Vietnam. Known locally as Ramil, the storm caused torrential rains, floods and landslides at the weekend. The fatalities included a family of five who died after a tree crashed into their home, said Junie Castillo,...

Events

3 d. ago Tropical Storm Fengshen kills at least 7 in Philippines, heads for China

A tropical storm lashed the northern and central Philippines on Sunday, leaving at least seven people dead and forcing more than 22,000 people to evacuate from flood- and landslide-prone villages. Authorities warned that tropical Storm Fengshen may intensify as it heads for China and Vietnam. The government’s disaster-mitigation agency said seven deaths were reported. Nearly 14,000 people who evacuated were still displaced from their homes by Monday morning, the agency said. Known locally as...

Events

4 d. ago Myanmar junta forces retake key town on trade route to China

Myanmar’s ruling junta said on Saturday that it had recaptured a town on a trade highway to China from an ethnic armed group in the country’s war-wracked north. Following a 16-day operation, “Tatmadaw reoccupied Hsipaw completely” on Thursday, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said, referring to the military by its Burmese name. Northern Shan state has been rocked by fighting since June 2024 when an alliance of ethnic armed groups renewed an offensive against the military along...

Politics

4 d. ago Malaysia football suspends a top official over Fifa eligibility scandal

The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) said on Friday it had suspended its secretary general and will form an independent committee to investigate a “technical error” that led to Fifa, the sport’s world governing body, suspending seven naturalised players of the national team over the alleged use of doctored documents. During a heated press conference, FAM and its legal team denied it had committed forgery, but declined to address repeated questions from reporters on how the players were...

Politics

5 d. ago Indonesia’s North Korea ties stoke worries in Seoul over jet tech leak

Indonesia’s renewed diplomatic engagement with North Korea has raised concerns in Seoul over the possible breach of sensitive technology related to the KF-21, a cutting-edge fighter jet jointly developed with the Southeast Asian nation. South Korean officials maintain that KF-21 data is protected under existing non-disclosure agreements with Jakarta. Still, critics point to Indonesia’s record on the joint project, including payment delays and leak scandals, which have undermined its...

Politics

5 d. ago Indonesia’s bid to ship durians straight to China rides on refrigeration, sanitation

Indonesia’s intent to export durians directly to China in search of higher profits will hinge on mastering the sanitary standards and cold-chain storage that intermediary countries have provided to date, analysts said. Sudaryono, deputy agriculture minister of the Southeast Asian archipelago, has announced that Indonesia is “actively seeking opportunities” to export directly to China as a way of increasing profits from an average of 10 to 30 per cent, the national news agency Antara reported...

Politics

5 d. ago Malaysia’s economy powers on, defying Trump’s volatile trade policy

Malaysia’s growth unexpectedly accelerated in the third quarter, with the economy firing across all sectors and exports defying US President Donald Trump’s imposition of higher tariffs. Gross domestic product rose 5.2 per cent in the July-September period from a year earlier, according to advance estimates from Malaysia’s Department of Statistics on Friday. That is faster than even the highest estimate in a Bloomberg survey and exceeds the pace of expansion seen in the previous three...

Politics

5 d. ago Kidnapped, trapped, forced to scam: inside Cambodia’s Chinese

Rows of grey buildings with thick iron bars line the streets of Sihanoukville, about 250km (155 miles) southwest of Phnom Penh. Near the city’s Chinatown stands Cambodia’s largest so-called yuanqu – a slang term in Chinese criminal circles meaning “scam compound”, derived from yuanqu, or industrial estate. Inside these complexes, online crimes such as voice phishing and romance scams are part of daily life. Young people from South Korea and other countries are kidnapped or lured by Chinese-run...

Events

5 d. ago ‘She was stabbed 200 times’: Malaysian mum reveals brutality of girl’s attack

The mother of the late Yap Shing Xuen has appealed to the public to stop spreading rumours and incorrect information about her daughter and her family. During a press conference at Yap’s wake on Thursday, Wong Lee Ping said her daughter sustained more than 200 stab wounds after being attacked in a school toilet at SMK Bandar Utama in Malaysia’s Selangor state on Tuesday. Fighting back tears, Wong, 44, said online media had under­reported the savagery of the attack when they stated Yap was...

Events

5 d. ago New index reveals alarming online risks facing Southeast Asia’s children

Southeast Asia’s children are among the world’s most exposed to online risks – and among the least protected. That is the warning from Dr Yuhyun Park, founder of the Singapore-based DQ Institute, a global think tank that develops international standards and research frameworks for digital intelligence and child online safety. She said uneven progress in cyber protection between advanced and developing economies was leaving millions of children in poorer regions vulnerable to abuse, exploitation...

Events

5 d. ago Southeast Asia’s children face alarming online risks, new index reveals

Southeast Asia’s children are among the world’s most exposed to online risks – and among the least protected. That is the warning from Dr Yuhyun Park, founder of the Singapore-based DQ Institute, a global think tank that develops international standards and research frameworks for digital intelligence and child online safety. She said uneven progress in cyber protection between advanced and developing economies was leaving millions of children in poorer regions vulnerable to abuse, exploitation...

Events