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SCMP

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. ‘I do’ … at last: LGBTQ couples in Thailand marry as same-sex unions legalised
Hundreds of LGBTQ couples married in Thailand this past week as the country became the first in Southeast Asia to legalise same-sex unions, with advocates saying the kingdom now has a wider leadership role to play in gender issues as America retreats from its own equality laws.
2. From tropics to tundra: why Filipinos are flocking to Iceland

It is a migration story that defies expectations. More than 10,000km separate the lush, tropical islands of the Philippines from Iceland, a nation of glaciers, geysers, and volcanic landscapes. Yet this North Atlantic nation has become an unlikely beacon of opportunity for Filipinos seeking higher wages, stability – and a gateway to Europe.
3. Japanese mum hopes Trump will get Kim to release her daughter after 48 years

The family of a Japanese national who was just 13 when she was abducted by North Korean agents in 1977 have called on US President Donald Trump to intervene with Pyongyang and bring her and other abductees home – but experts say their wish may remain unfulfilled due to complex geopolitical realities.
4. ‘Singaporeans don’t want this job’: city state’s hawker culture faces revolution

To preserve the local identity of hawker culture, operators in the 121 markets and hawker centres managed by the National Environmental Agency (NEA) have to be Singapore citizens or permanent residents. However, since January 1, certain individuals on long-term visas can now work as hawker assistants.
5. Last laugh? Muslim comedian faces backlash over ham joke in Malaysia
Malaysian religious authorities plan to summon an award-winning Muslim comedian for questioning over a joke posted on social media about ham that has ignited intense religious sensitivities in the Muslim-majority nation and raised questions over the boundaries of free speech in a culturally diverse society.
6. In Asia’s forgotten war, reluctant rebels mark 4 years of bloody chaos

In the capital Naypyidaw, the military – or Tatmadaw – calls all the shots, but after a series of chastening battlefield defeats, the generals increasingly find themselves boxed-in to the country’s central heartlands. Still, few among the anti-junta resistance forces harbour any illusions about an imminent collapse of Min Aung Hlaing’s brutal regime.
7. Rubio says US committed to Philippines but could Trump change course?

The new US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s assurance of an “ironclad commitment” to its oldest military ally in Asia, the Philippines, was welcomed on Thursday by analysts, but they suggested this would all depend on US President Donald Trump, who appeared to have softened his stance on China.


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SCMP Highlights

Thailand’s same-sex unions, Filipinos in Iceland, Singapore’s hawkers: 7 Asia highlights

LGBTQ couple Vorawan “Beaut” Ramwan and Anticha “An” Sangcha pose for photos after receiving official marriage certificates in Bangkok, Thailand. Photo: Reuters

Reykjavik, Iceland. Photo: Getty Images

Megumi Yokota, then 13, pictured at an undisclosed location in North Korea after her abduction from Japan. Photo: AP

Ang Chip Hong stands outside his hawker stall in Singapore. Photo: Jean Iau

Rebel fighters from the Ta’ang National Liberation Army train in Myanmar’s northern Shan state. Maung Saungkha’s BPLA works alongside better-equipped groups like the TNLA. Photo: AFP

US and Philippine Marines fire Howitzer artillery during a live-fire exercise as part of the joint US-Philippines annual military Balikatan drills in Laoag on Luzon island’s northwest coast in May 2024. Photo: AFP

US Marines in Japan, Malaysia’s first home-grown EV: 7 Asia highlights

Japan-based US Marine Corps soldiers embark an aircraft in Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan, in November 2013. Photo: EPA

A Marine Corps pilot prepares for a vertical landing of Lockheed Martin F-35B stealth fighter aboard the USS Wasp amphibious assault carrier during their operation in the waters off Japan’s Okinawa on March 23, 2018. Photo: Reuters

Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra (left) and his daughter and PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra arrive before the royal endorsement ceremony in Bangkok in August. Photo: AP

Filipino death row inmate Mary Jane Veloso gestures as she leaves Yogyakarta Women’s Prison for her transfer to the capital city of Jakarta in preparation for her repatriation to the Philippines, in Gunung Kidul, Indonesia on December 15, 2024. Photo: AP 

Malaysia’s first locally produced electric vehicle, the e.Mas7, was launched in Kuala Lumpur on December 16. Photo: AFP

Chefs prepare their dishes before service at a monthly supper club in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Hadi Azmi

A screengrab, of a viral video of a bakery assault in Indonesia, has sparked anti-Chinese sentiment. Photo: X/@untoksikk

A Yotteba customer receives a slap to the face at one of its izakaya outlets in Japan. Photo: TikTok/Salty_Gourmets

Yoon impeachment blame game, Singapore’s Yale-NUS shutdown stirs ire: 7 Asia highlights

An effigy of President Yoon Suk-yeol is displayed by pro-impeachment protesters near his residence in Seoul, South Korea. Photo: Park Chan-kyong

Pro-impeachment protesters camp out near Yoon Suk-yeol’s residence in Seoul, South Korea. Photo: Park Chan-kyong

Philippine marines during a joint visit, board and seizure (VBS) exercise with their US and South Korean counterparts in Cavite province, west of Manila in October 2024, as part of the annual Philippines-US joint marines exercise dubbed Kamandag (Venom). Photo: AFP

Despite the college closing, there have been efforts to keep the spirit of Yale-NUS alive through an alumni network. Photo: AFP

A supporter of former prime minister Najib Razak waits outside the Court of Appeal in Putrajaya, Malaysia, on Monday. Photo: AP

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un meets soldiers during a visit to a military training base in North Korea last March. Photo: AP

US president-elect Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on Brics members. Photo: Reuters

Younger Japanese are turning their backs on grind culture. Photo: Reuters

Malaysia’s Najib scores court victory, Indian-Americans slam Trump: 7 Asia highlights

A Donald Trump supporter wears a MAGA hat at a watch party for the first presidential debate of the 2024 US presidential election. Photo: AFP

A supporter of Malaysia’s former prime minister Najib Razak takes part in a solidarity rally outside the Court of Appeal in Putrajaya on Monday. Photo: Reuters

A view of the Kanmon Straits from Mount Hinoyama. Photo: Shutterstock

Supporters of former president Donald Trump gather at the Republican National Convention on July 18, 2024 in Milwaukee. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

A visitor lies down in Kuala Lumpur Tower’s “Sky Box”, one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in January 2024. Photo: EPA-EFE

Japanese mochi rice cakes. The country’s emergency services have warned people to eat the treat with care due to its potential choking hazard. Photo: Shutterstock

News

Asia

From Thailand legalising same-sex marriage to a forgotten war in Myanmar, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting


From Thailand legalising same-sex marriage to a forgotten war in Myanmar, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.


Thailand’s same-sex unions, Filipinos in Iceland, Singapore’s hawkers: 7 Asia highlights

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From Thailand legalising same-sex marriage to a forgotten war in Myanmar, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting

1. ‘I do’ … at last: LGBTQ couples in Thailand marry as same-sex unions legalised

2. From tropics to tundra: why Filipinos are flocking to Iceland

From Thailand legalising same-sex marriage to a forgotten war in Myanmar, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting