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This Week in Asia

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Lifestyle & Culture
A screenshot from an Indonesian Ombudsman video shows luxury facilities discovered during an unannounced inspection at Cibinong Prison in West Java on Wednesday. Photo: Instagram/ombudsmanri137
The exterior of one of the buildings at Cibinong Prison in Bogor, Indonesia, that the Ombudsman characterised as part of a VIP compound. Photo: YouTube/OmbudsmanRI137
A screenshot from an Indonesian Ombudsman video shows luxury facilities discovered during an unannounced inspection at Cibinong Prison in West Java on Wednesday. Photo: Instagram/ombudsmanri137
A screenshot from an Indonesian Ombudsman video shows luxury facilities discovered during an unannounced inspection at Cibinong Prison in West Java on Wednesday. Photo: Instagram/ombudsmanri137

People

Indonesian prison chief suspended over secret VIP compound for inmates

Inspectors found a hidden compound at Cibinong Prison, complete with villas and a pool reportedly reserved for paying inmates.

Inside the Philippines’ mounting ‘learning crisis’ and teacher shortage

Malaysia begins sending thousands of Myanmar nationals back to war-torn homeland

Economics

Japan enlists royal visit, subsidies to revive tourism in quake-hit Kyushu

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako to visit Kumamoto as the government rolls out travel subsidies to win back visitors following July’s quake.

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The damage at Yatsushiro Shrine after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto prefecture, Japan, in July. Photo: Reuters
An aerial view of damage to the Kyushu Expressway in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto prefecture, Japan, after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake, in July. Photo: Kyodo/Reuters
Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako wave during a tree-planting ceremony in the western Japan city of Okayama in 2024. Photo: Kyodo

People

‘Extremely damaging’ anti-foreigner fake news pushes Japan to far-right

Viral lies about foreign crime are fuelling political division in a country desperate for workers, analysts say.

People

‘Unequal floods, unequal power’: jet ski stunt fuels anger in Bangkok

The episode has been widely seen as an example of the insensitivity of some of the city’s wealthy to the suffering of its poor amid the floods.

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People

How Mary Jane Veloso’s case exposes gaps in Filipino migrant protection

Advocates say her case spotlights the dangers Philippine workers face overseas and Manila’s inability to sufficiently protect its citizens.

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Mary Jane Veloso leaves the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, the Philippines, on Friday after being granted clemency. Photo: EPA
Mary Jane Veloso holds a copy of an absolute pardon document during her release from the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, the Philippines, on Friday. Photo: EPA

Politics

South Korea’s POW row with Ukraine puts ties and aid at risk

Analysts say Kyiv’s breach of secrecy over the North Korean prisoners of war may cause Seoul to halt non-lethal aid to Ukraine.

Lifestyle & Culture

Paid to read: can cash and gamification fix Southeast Asia’s falling literacy?

Facing shrinking attention spans and ‘doomscrolling’, governments are using cash, vouchers and book drives to get citizens reading again.

Politics

Malaysian police consider sedition charges for ex-Negeri Sembilan officials

Ten ousted executive council members face questioning over an alleged plot to depose the state’s ruler.

An official portrait of Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir. Photo: Handout

People

Siti Hasmah, wife of Malaysia’s Mahathir Mohamad, dies aged 100

Her family confirmed on Monday that she died after being admitted to the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia’s former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad and his wife Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali visit an ice cream shop in Shah Alam, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, in June last year. Photo: AFP
Malaysia’s former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad and his wife Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali visit an ice cream shop in Shah Alam, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, in June last year. Photo: AFP

Economics

Thailand has had enough of foreign tourists behaving badly

Viral misbehaviour, crimes and foreign-ownership scandals are exhausting the patience of a country famous for its hospitality.

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Health & Environment

Chickens in Malaysia are producing fewer eggs. Is haze a leading cause?

Small farmers in Malaysia and Indonesia who are also worried about rising heat are spending more to ventilate their sheds.

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Economics

Indonesia’s 3% deficit cap: guardrail or growth barrier?

As lawmakers weigh lifting the statutory deficit ceiling, economists warn of downgrades and higher borrowing costs.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto at the State Palace in Jakarta, in June. Prabowo is aiming for 8 per cent annual economic growth by 2029. Photo: Reuters

Politics

Why Pakistan’s endless war on militants fails to break the cycle

Tactical wins and retaliatory strikes have not delivered peace, even as two separate insurgencies appear to be converging.

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People gather at site of a bomb attack in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, on September 18. Photo: Xinhua
People gather at site of a bomb attack in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, on September 18. Photo: Xinhua

Economics

After EU-Philippines trade breakthrough, is Asean-wide deal next?

A bloc-to-bloc free-trade agreement offers Asean real economic clout, but analysts warn there is still a ‘long way to go’.

People

In Malaysia, a mother’s love offers her trans daughter refuge

For transgender Muslims in Kelantan, quiet family acceptance at home contrasts with growing fear of sharia crackdowns.

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Economics

Thailand has had enough of foreign tourists behaving badly

Viral misbehaviour, crimes and foreign-ownership scandals are exhausting the patience of a country famous for its hospitality.

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Illustration: Kevin Wong
Illustration: Kevin Wong

Economics

South Korea wants free ‘AI for All’. Is society ready?

Seoul’s roll-out of free, unlimited AI is set to shake up classrooms, careers and crime – for better or worse.

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Health & Environment

Up in smoke: why Southeast Asia failed to halt the haze

Asean was going to eliminate transboundary haze by 2020. What happened?

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Health & Environment

Golden years: in ageing Southeast Asia, growing old is big business

From Singapore to Thailand, private operators and luxury resorts are cashing in, as more retirees seek care on their own terms.

Illustration: Huy Truong
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LATEST Asia NEWS

Southeast Asia

One flood battle after another as Thai Airways races to clear baggage backlog

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A passenger searches for his delayed baggage from Thai Airways flights at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

People

Indonesian prison chief suspended over secret VIP compound for inmates

A screenshot from an Indonesian Ombudsman video shows luxury facilities discovered during an unannounced inspection at Cibinong Prison in West Java on Wednesday. Photo: Instagram/ombudsmanri137

Lifestyle & Culture

Inside the Philippines’ mounting ‘learning crisis’ and teacher shortage

A teacher instructs students as classes open for the new school year at a junior school in Manila, the Philippines, in June 2025. Photo: AFP

Southeast Asia

Malaysia’s US$100 billion Forest City seeks rebirth. Scams stand in its way

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An aerial view of Forest City development in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Photo: EPA-EFE

East Asia

Shoppers rejoice, farmers fume as Japan’s rice crisis turns into a surplus

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A customer buys a bag of government-stockpiled rice at a convenience store in Tokyo, Japan, last year. Photo: AFP
MORE Asia NEWS
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OPINION
Zha Daojiong

Asian Angle | Southeast Asia faces a false binary in US-China mineral trade

Zha Daojiong
Alexey D Muraviev

Opinion | Why the Global South keeps its doors wide open to Russia

Alexey D Muraviev
Hoang Thi Ha,Pham Thi Phuong Thao

Asian Angle | Politics aside, young Vietnamese are warming to China

Hoang Thi Ha
Pham Thi Phuong Thao
8
Soniya Rijal,Nader Naderpajouh

Asian Angle | After Nepal-Tibet floods, recovery depends on grass-roots solidarity

Soniya Rijal
Nader Naderpajouh
Donald Low

Opinion | Singapore’s blueprint for economic success: plan, but be prepared to adapt

Donald Low
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MULTIMEDIA
Video

Filipino fishermen worry about Chinese nature reserve in disputed waters

Filipino fishermen worry about Chinese nature reserve in disputed waters
03:09
Video

Centenarian becomes oldest person to climb Mount Fuji

Centenarian becomes oldest person to climb Mount Fuji
02:34
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Cambodia unveils new Chinese-built airport

Cambodia unveils new Chinese-built airport
02:02
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Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra to serve 1 year in jail

Ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra to serve 1 year in jail
04:27
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Siti Hasmah, wife of Malaysia’s Mahathir Mohamad, dies aged 100

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Thailand has had enough of foreign tourists behaving badly

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