https://www.scmp.com/rss/503125/feed The latest news on Lee Hsien Loong, Singaporean politician and Senior Minister of Singapore, including political news and updates. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Jean Iau Jean Iau With Singapore facing a global energy crisis due to the conflict in the Middle East, the “storm clouds” that Prime Minister Lawrence Wong warned of at an election rally last year now appear to be an understatement. Under the scorching midday sun at a lunchtime speech in the heart of the city, Singapore’s leader last April urged voters to re-elect his tested People’s Action Party (PAP), arguing that voting for the opposition would weaken his team’s ability to navigate coming headwinds. On top of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3352538/one-year-singapore-election-has-lawrence-wongs-team-delivered-promises?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3352538/one-year-singapore-election-has-lawrence-wongs-team-delivered-promises?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 May 2026 00:00:12 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau A defamation lawsuit filed by Singapore cabinet ministers K Shanmugam and Tan See Leng against financial news outlet Bloomberg on Tuesday opened with heated exchanges over an article that mentioned their personal property transactions. According to statements of claim filed in the High Court, Shanmugam, who is coordinating minister for national security, and Tan, who is manpower minister, said parts of the article, titled “Singapore mansion deals are increasingly shrouded in secrecy”, were... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3349204/singapore-ministers-defamation-suit-against-bloomberg-property-article-starts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3349204/singapore-ministers-defamation-suit-against-bloomberg-property-article-starts?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Apr 2026 02:07:27 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk The killing of Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli air strikes has prompted governments across Muslim-majority South and Southeast Asia to reiterate calls for restraint as protests flared in several cities, with some religious and political movements hailing the cleric as a “martyr”. Iranian state media confirmed Khamenei’s death on Sunday and declared a 40-day mourning period, casting the assassination as a pivotal moment for the Islamic Republic he had led since... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345014/death-irans-khamenei-sparks-outrage-and-calls-restraint-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3345014/death-irans-khamenei-sparks-outrage-and-calls-restraint-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 07:57:35 +0000 CNA CNA Hundreds of AI-generated Chinese-language YouTube videos have been targeting Singapore and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong as part of an ongoing disinformation campaign. Seven in 10 videos attack Wong specifically, fabricating narratives about his leadership role being under threat and spreading conspiracy theories about political infighting in Singapore. The videos have racked up millions of views since surfacing late last year, though experts suggested that bot traffic or automation could be... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3344522/singapore-prime-minister-attacked-hundreds-chinese-language-fake-ai-videos?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3344522/singapore-prime-minister-attacked-hundreds-chinese-language-fake-ai-videos?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Feb 2026 01:31:19 +0000 CNA CNA Singapore street performer Bryan Wong may have performed all around the world, but few gigs can compare to the one where Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong randomly turned up in the audience. The 29-year-old acrobatics artist was performing his Circles In Circus act at Rainforest Wild Asia when he spotted Lee and his wife, Ho Ching, watching from the crowd. In a video later posted to social media, Wong zoomed in to Lee’s face, joking: “Sir, I’m sorry, I’m going to zoom in to your face, thank you... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3344081/singapore-busker-stunned-vegetable-after-ex-pm-lee-spotted-performance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3344081/singapore-busker-stunned-vegetable-after-ex-pm-lee-spotted-performance?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Feb 2026 05:30:08 +0000 CNA CNA The site at 38 Oxley Road was gazetted for acquisition on Thursday, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) and the National Heritage Board (NHB) said in a media release. This follows the gazetting of the site as a national monument on December 12, 2025. The site was the home of Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew. It was also where events took place that shaped the country’s independence movement and national history. “The site was gazetted for acquisition today in order to safeguard... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3341629/singapore-acquire-lee-kuan-yews-38-oxley-road-home-preservation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3341629/singapore-acquire-lee-kuan-yews-38-oxley-road-home-preservation?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 04:21:54 +0000 Bernard Chan Bernard Chan The recent drama surrounding US action in Venezuela, its renewed interest in Greenland and tariff threats on governments that object, along with comments on Cuba, Colombia and Mexico, appear disjointed – part diplomacy, part law enforcement, part political theatre. Like many observers, I rely on the news to try to make sense of the policy logic and what it may mean for those who have to live with its consequences. Washington’s rationale for its actions in Venezuela was initially framed as law... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3340704/venezuela-greenland-trump-using-us-power-rewrite-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3340704/venezuela-greenland-trump-using-us-power-rewrite-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jan 2026 01:30:08 +0000 Kolette Lim,Jean Iau Kolette Lim,Jean Iau Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Wednesday accepted the Workers’ Party’s (WP) rejection of his invitation to nominate a replacement for the Leader of the Opposition (LO) role, saying that it would be left vacant. In a statement hours after the WP turned down the offer, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said: “The office of the LO will therefore remain vacant until such time that the WP is ready to nominate someone to take on this responsibility.” The PMO agreed that the leader of the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3340689/singapores-workers-party-rejects-leader-opposition-position?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3340689/singapores-workers-party-rejects-leader-opposition-position?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 09:02:15 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau A peculiar gridlock has settled on Singapore’s political scene with the position of Leader of the Opposition (LO) vacant after Pritam Singh was removed from the post by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, with public discourse now centred on the constitutional basis, or lack thereof, for the role. Created in 2020 by then prime minister Lee Hsien Loong after Singh’s party won a record 10 seats in parliament, the non-statutory position contrasts sharply with its counterpart in Westminster systems, where... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3340308/singapores-leader-opposition-debate-draws-comparisons-westminster-system?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3340308/singapores-leader-opposition-debate-draws-comparisons-westminster-system?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Jan 2026 07:21:55 +0000 Jean Iau,Kolette Lim Jean Iau,Kolette Lim Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has stripped the Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh of his role as the city state’s first Leader of the Opposition following Singh’s conviction for lying under oath to a parliamentary committee. Singh assumed the official role in 2020 following the general election where his party secured a record 10 elected seats in parliament. Then prime minister Lee Hsien Loong announced during a press conference that Singh would be provided with staff and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3340003/singapores-pm-lawrence-wong-removes-pritam-singh-leader-opposition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3340003/singapores-pm-lawrence-wong-removes-pritam-singh-leader-opposition?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 08:04:17 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Singapore’s parliamentarians on Wednesday voted Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh unsuitable as Leader of the Opposition following his court conviction for lying to a committee, with his opponents questioning his integrity and leadership, while supporters suggested there was a political agenda against him. The heated discussion in Singapore’s typically sterile parliament, which saw WP MPs repeatedly calling points of order, centred on Leader of the House Indranee Rajah’s motion calling on... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339895/singapores-pritam-singh-debate-mps-trade-barbs-over-bid-remove-opposition-leader?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339895/singapores-pritam-singh-debate-mps-trade-barbs-over-bid-remove-opposition-leader?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 10:42:58 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau In an unprecedented move in Singapore, Workers’ Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh could be stripped of his title as Leader of Opposition and lose his privileges when Singapore’s parliamentarians debate his suitability for the role next week, legal experts say. Singh was the first to be appointed to the official role in 2020 by then prime minister Lee Hsien Loong after the general election that year, when the WP won a record 10 out of 93 seats. On Friday, Leader of the House Indranee Rajah tabled a... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339351/could-singapore-remove-pritam-singh-leader-opposition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339351/could-singapore-remove-pritam-singh-leader-opposition?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jan 2026 10:30:14 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau The United States’ intervention into Venezuela would have worrying long-term consequences to the international system and small countries in particular, Singapore’s former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Thursday. Senior Minister Lee, who stepped down as prime minister in May 2024, noted that Singapore had always stated its position unequivocally and voted accordingly on such matters that were contrary to international law and the UN Charter, listing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339156/singapores-lee-hsien-loong-says-us-raid-venezuela-worrying-small-countries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339156/singapores-lee-hsien-loong-says-us-raid-venezuela-worrying-small-countries?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 07:05:09 +0000 Kavita Daswani Kavita Daswani After more than 13 years in the United States, Singaporean chef C-Y Chia is preparing to return to the Lion City. But not before leaving a parting gift for the diners who helped shape Chia’s journey: a new cookbook that distils the spirit of Lion Dance Cafe, the vegan restaurant in Oakland, California, that Chia co-founded and ran with partner and fellow chef Shane Stanbridge. Lion Dance Cafe Cookbook: Authentic, Not Traditional contains more than 100 recipes that reflect the pair’s plant-based,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3338253/chef-ready-bring-plant-based-take-singaporean-food-back-home-lion-city?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3338253/chef-ready-bring-plant-based-take-singaporean-food-back-home-lion-city?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Jan 2026 09:15:09 +0000 Jean Iau,Kolette Lim Jean Iau,Kolette Lim Singapore saw plenty of drama unfold this year, from pickleball courts to the Supreme Court. The city state was gripped by election fever in May, when the People’s Action Party maintained its dominance at the polls. On the trade front, Washington’s imposition of a 10 per cent tariff on Singapore elicited a strong reaction from Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. The jury is still out on whether US President Donald Trump would introduce levies on pharmaceuticals and semiconductors, which could deliver... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337732/singapore-2025-election-fever-courtroom-drama-pickleball-mania?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3337732/singapore-2025-election-fever-courtroom-drama-pickleball-mania?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Dec 2025 03:00:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Singapore’s government on Friday gazetted as a national monument the former home of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, a site long at the centre of a bitter family dispute among his children. The action marks a pivotal moment in the saga that has gripped the city state since Lee’s death in 2015, when his children publicly clashed over whether the bungalow at 38 Oxley Road should be preserved or torn down. Lee’s oldest son, and former prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, favoured preserving the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336284/lee-kuan-yews-38-oxley-road-home-officially-declared-singapore-national-monument?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3336284/lee-kuan-yews-38-oxley-road-home-officially-declared-singapore-national-monument?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 13:37:04 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau In the tumultuous days before Singapore’s separation from Malaysia in 1965, founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew clung to the hope that the city could still be part of the federal government under a looser arrangement, but his deputy had no desire to pursue this ideal. While Lee was conflicted and even wavered at the eleventh hour when he asked then Malaysian prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman if he was certain there was no alternative, Goh Keng Swee, widely regarded as the architect of modern... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335504/how-singapores-lee-kuan-yew-was-torn-over-malaysia-separation-while-his-deputy-pushed-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335504/how-singapores-lee-kuan-yew-was-torn-over-malaysia-separation-while-his-deputy-pushed-it?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Dec 2025 09:16:18 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau In Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, a sailor who shoots an albatross is forced to hang it around his neck as penance, with the bird becoming a heavy burden and a reminder of his guilt. This metaphor was invoked by Goh Keng Swee, widely regarded as the “economic architect” of modern Singapore, as his code name for Malaysia in his file of personal notes on Singapore’s separation from its northern neighbour in August 1965. Almost all of the newly declassified... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3335477/singapore-launches-book-malaysia-separation-declassified-files-lee-kuan-yew-quotes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3335477/singapore-launches-book-malaysia-separation-declassified-files-lee-kuan-yew-quotes?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Dec 2025 05:01:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters Faced with growing scrutiny by authorities at home and in Singapore, mainland Chinese living in the city state are being more discreet about their wealth, in a shift that is hitting sales of luxury goods from Bentleys to private jets. Singapore, where some 75 per cent of the resident population is ethnically Chinese, has seen massive inflows of mainland Chinese wealth over the last few years due to the island’s political stability, tax-friendly environment and cultural affinity. The Covid-19... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3335172/chinas-wealthy-tone-down-bling-singapore-asset-scrutiny-deepens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3335172/chinas-wealthy-tone-down-bling-singapore-asset-scrutiny-deepens?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Dec 2025 07:03:50 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Singapore should seek deeper integration of new Chinese immigrants to guard against any possibility that the demographic may be used as instruments for “China’s interests”, a former diplomat from the city state has warned. In an essay published in the newly launched (Re)Defining Singapore, Bilahari Kausikan, an ex-permanent secretary at Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, argued that the relationship between the city state and China was unique in light of it being the only country outside... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3333291/singapore-must-not-allow-china-cross-red-line-domestic-interests-ex-diplomat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3333291/singapore-must-not-allow-china-cross-red-line-domestic-interests-ex-diplomat?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 11:55:35 +0000 Sophie Wushuang Yi Sophie Wushuang Yi When President Xi Jinping commissioned the Fujian on November 5, China became only the second nation to have an aircraft carrier with an electromagnetic catapult system. It is also notable that, last month, two navy aircraft from the USS Nimitz crashed into the South China Sea. These events crystallise a strategic reality often obscured by aggregate force comparisons: the relevant naval balance is not between the 11 US aircraft carriers and China’s three, but between what the United States can... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3332517/south-china-sea-how-third-pla-navy-aircraft-carrier-changes-dynamics-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3332517/south-china-sea-how-third-pla-navy-aircraft-carrier-changes-dynamics-us?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Nov 2025 12:30:10 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau The Singapore government is not seeking to memorialise founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and family by preserving his former home and instead is enabling future generations of citizens to understand their country’s struggle for independence, Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo has said. Detailing the reasons behind the government’s intention to preserve 38 Oxley Road as a national monument, Neo told parliament on Thursday that the space and its importance could not be... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3331753/singapore-preserve-38-oxley-road-history-not-lee-kuan-yew-memorial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3331753/singapore-preserve-38-oxley-road-history-not-lee-kuan-yew-memorial?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Nov 2025 07:28:51 +0000 SCMP 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. South China Sea: what does Europe see in the Philippines? Sweden has reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing security cooperation with the Philippines, adding to a growing list of European countries seeking defence ties with Manila amid concern over growing Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3331429/what-europe-sees-philippines-malaysias-bukit-bintang-upgrade-7-asia-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/3331429/what-europe-sees-philippines-malaysias-bukit-bintang-upgrade-7-asia-highlights?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Nov 2025 05:37:54 +0000 Jean Iau,Kolette Lim Jean Iau,Kolette Lim A decision on Monday by Singapore’s government to preserve as a national monument the site of the family home of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew is an expected outcome nearly a decade in the making, according to observers. They also say it is still too early to tell if the latest resolution marked the end of a public feud between former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong and his younger brother Lee Hsien Yang, centred on whether 38 Oxley Road should be demolished. Following patriarch Lee’s... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3331378/singapores-38-oxley-road-will-latest-move-gazette-site-end-lee-family-feud?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3331378/singapores-38-oxley-road-will-latest-move-gazette-site-end-lee-family-feud?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Nov 2025 13:31:44 +0000 CNA CNA The site of 38 Oxley Road was “more than just the home” of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew – it was where Singapore’s independence movement took shape, a government advisory board said on Monday. The Preservation of Sites and Monuments Advisory Board assessed the site as having “strong national significance worthy of preservation as a national monument”, describing it as a foundational part of Singapore’s independence that is “not represented by any other site or monument”. The site... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3331298/lee-kuan-yews-home-worthy-preservation-birthplace-singapores-independence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3331298/lee-kuan-yews-home-worthy-preservation-birthplace-singapores-independence?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Nov 2025 06:34:03 +0000 Anthony Cheung Anthony Cheung Much to the relief of markets, US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping finally met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea. The friendly meeting indicates both sides prefer a mode of “controlled” confrontation. The bilateral relationship remains confrontational, nonetheless. Some give and take on trade certainly helps to de-escalate tensions, but China has no illusions about the US’ fundamental hostility. Trump prides himself on his... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3330915/china-will-find-its-own-modernisation-path-not-us-terms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3330915/china-will-find-its-own-modernisation-path-not-us-terms?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Nov 2025 01:30:10 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau The security situations in Asia and Europe are very different because of each region’s respective dynamics with China and Russia, Singapore’s former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong has said. While several European nations would consider Moscow a security threat and want to boost their collective defence, China is not an existential issue for most countries in Asia, and many want to continue doing business while managing ties with Beijing, according to Lee. Speaking at a forum at British think... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330649/most-asian-countries-dont-see-china-security-threat-singapores-lee-hsien-loong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3330649/most-asian-countries-dont-see-china-security-threat-singapores-lee-hsien-loong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Oct 2025 10:51:42 +0000 CNA CNA Malaysian broadcaster Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) has apologised for getting the names of three Southeast Asian leaders wrong during a live broadcast of the opening ceremony of the 47th Asean Summit. RTM had misidentified the leaders of Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia during the live broadcast on Sunday. In statements issued in Malay on social media, the broadcaster apologised for the mistakes. RTM said in its statement that a broadcast commentator had misidentified Singapore’s Prime... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3330411/malaysias-rtm-apologises-misnaming-singaporean-thai-indonesian-leaders?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3330411/malaysias-rtm-apologises-misnaming-singaporean-thai-indonesian-leaders?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Oct 2025 02:14:42 +0000 Kolette Lim Kolette Lim Three women who took part in a walk to Singapore’s presidential estate to deliver letters calling for changes to the country’s stance on Israel have been acquitted of holding a public procession without a permit. Legal observers say the ruling, which has drawn interest given the city state’s strict regulation of public assemblies, reflects the evidentiary thresholds under its public-order laws and is consistent with court precedent. District Judge John Ng ruled on Tuesday that the defendants had... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3329847/3-singaporeans-acquitted-holding-pro-palestinian-procession-without-permit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3329847/3-singaporeans-acquitted-holding-pro-palestinian-procession-without-permit?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Oct 2025 15:26:43 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau With Singapore’s population at a high of more than 6.1 million, fuelled by foreign worker influx, more assurance should be given to locals on public infrastructure integrity and that they will remain the core of the labour market, according to analysts. On Monday, the National Population and Talent Division released its annual report stating that the city state’s population grew by 1.2 per cent in the past year to 6.11 million as of June, with the increase driven by growth in the non-resident... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3327414/singaporeans-first-assurance-needed-after-report-record-611-million-population?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3327414/singaporeans-first-assurance-needed-after-report-record-611-million-population?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Sep 2025 11:04:05 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Singapore will acquire four Boeing P-8A maritime patrol aircraft from the United States to counter submarine threats and refresh its maritime security capabilities, Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing has said. Chan was in Washington this week to meet his counterpart, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, at the Pentagon and shared Singapore’s decision to procure the aircraft that would replace the existing Fokker 50s, which had been in service since 1993. The P-8A maritime patrol aircraft is designed... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325052/singapore-boost-maritime-defence-4-boeing-p-8a-patrol-aircraft?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325052/singapore-boost-maritime-defence-4-boeing-p-8a-patrol-aircraft?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Sep 2025 09:50:41 +0000 Andrew Sheng Andrew Sheng As the typhoon that is US President Donald Trump sweeps over trading partners and foes alike, even as stock markets are hitting record highs, there is an eerie feeling of being trapped inside the eye of the hurricane with no guidance on what to do and where to go. There is misinformation everywhere. It seems as though there is no objective, independent verification of the real level of casualties and devastation in the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Neither is it clear Trump can deliver peace in... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3321949/typhoon-trump-wreaks-havoc-there-way-escape-storm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3321949/typhoon-trump-wreaks-havoc-there-way-escape-storm?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Aug 2025 12:30:08 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Das still remembers an offhand remark from a former colleague who, upon seeing his hairy legs, said that they resembled a monkey’s. For the 30-year-old ethnic Indian Singaporean postgraduate student, who spoke to This Week in Asia under a pseudonym, the comment reflected a kind of casual insensitivity he said he had encountered as a racial minority in Singapore. “I would ascribe the confidence of saying such things without having to endure a blowback or to blow it off as a joke to Chinese... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3320004/does-chinese-privilege-exist-singapore-study-finds-views-differ-age-and-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3320004/does-chinese-privilege-exist-singapore-study-finds-views-differ-age-and-race?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Jul 2025 09:56:25 +0000 An excerpt An excerpt In his new memoir Ink and Influence: An OB Markers Sequel, Cheong Yip Seng reflects on the intersection of geopolitics, media, and identity through the lens of his long career as editor-in-chief of The Straits Times. In this excerpt, Cheong recounts a revealing moment during an official visit to China in 1976 with then-prime minister Lee Kuan Yew. Among the officials present was S.R. Nathan, later Singapore’s sixth president, who witnessed Lee subtly rebuff a Chinese attempt to influence the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3317011/why-singapores-identity-demanded-distance-china-and-its-own-story-nationhood?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3317011/why-singapores-identity-demanded-distance-china-and-its-own-story-nationhood?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Jul 2025 01:30:21 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Singapore’s former transport minister S. Iswaran has been released from custody for accepting gifts as a public servant and obstructing justice. The Singapore Prison Service confirmed on Friday that the 63-year-old, who had been on home detention, is no longer in its custody after completing his term. Last October, a High Court judge sentenced Iswaran to 12 months’ imprisonment for four counts of accepting gifts from individuals he was professionally involved with as a public servant, and one... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3313307/former-singapore-transport-minister-iswaran-completes-sentence-graft-related-offences?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3313307/former-singapore-transport-minister-iswaran-completes-sentence-graft-related-offences?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Jun 2025 04:54:38 +0000 Kimberly Lim Kimberly Lim US President Donald Trump’s instinct to “challenge old ways of doing things” that no longer work and his emphasis on “common sense” bear striking similarities to how Singapore’s founding leader Lee Kuan Yew steered the city state from vulnerability to global relevance, American defence secretary Pete Hegseth has said. In a wide-ranging address on Washington’s Indo-Pacific approach at the Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday, Hegseth drew parallels between the “historic men”, describing both as having... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3312568/trump-and-lee-kuan-yew-similar-common-sense-approach-hegseth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3312568/trump-and-lee-kuan-yew-similar-common-sense-approach-hegseth?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 May 2025 04:31:48 +0000 Kimberly Lim Kimberly Lim Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong pledged to chart a course through a world order he described as turbulent and uncertain, while promising a more consultative style of governance as his new cabinet was sworn in on Friday night. Addressing 600 guests who gathered at the Istana lawn for the ceremony, Wong said that amid a turbulent world, “Singaporeans voted for a strong and stable government while re-electing opposition MPs in the constituencies they held”. He described the result of the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3311614/singapore-cabinet-sworn-pm-lawrence-wong-vows-steer-country-through-new-world-order?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3311614/singapore-cabinet-sworn-pm-lawrence-wong-vows-steer-country-through-new-world-order?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 May 2025 13:18:04 +0000 Jean Iau,Nicole Cheah Jean Iau,Nicole Cheah A recent survey after Singapore’s 14th general election has found that while most voters in the city state are satisfied with its outcome, less than half of Gen Z voters expressed approval of the ruling People’s Action Party’s (PAP) resounding victory. The study, conducted by market research firm YouGov and released on Sunday, polled 1,533 Singaporeans aged 21 and above between May 4 and May 9 in the wake of the PAP returning to power with 65.57 per cent of the popular vote and clinching 87 of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3310432/why-singapores-gen-z-voters-are-less-satisfied-election-results?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3310432/why-singapores-gen-z-voters-are-less-satisfied-election-results?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 May 2025 06:03:22 +0000 In Singapore, at every general election, the most asked question is: how many seats will fall into the opposition’s hands? This election is no different. If anything, it has become even more keenly anticipated because the opposition, especially the Workers’ Party (WP), appears to have been able to field credible candidates – including lawyers, doctors and other professionals – in greater numbers than in previous elections. An air of expectation surrounds their chances. The ruling People’s Action... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3307777/singapores-election-can-pap-stem-rising-opposition-tide?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3307777/singapores-election-can-pap-stem-rising-opposition-tide?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Apr 2025 09:16:08 +0000 As Singapore closed in on the 2006 general election, its first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew told young voters in a televised dialogue that the opposition was not up to mark and that the best candidates were in his People’s Action Party (PAP). Referring to then-Workers’ Party (WP) chief Low Thia Khiang, Lee said: “The problem is he cannot find capable people to match the PAP. That’s the nub of it all.” Weeks later at the 50th anniversary dinner of the Foreign Correspondents Association, Lee, who... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3307461/singapore-election-are-opposition-candidates-closing-talent-gap-ruling-pap?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3307461/singapore-election-are-opposition-candidates-closing-talent-gap-ruling-pap?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Apr 2025 09:48:51 +0000 Several past and present Cabinet ministers – including Prime Minister Lawrence Wong – paid their respects to Puan Noor Aishah on Tuesday morning at the Ba’alwie Mosque, where funeral prayers were held following her death. The 91-year-old, who was the wife of Singapore’s first President Yusof Ishak, died peacefully at Singapore General Hospital at about 4.30am on Tuesday. Wong said she was “thrust into the public spotlight at a very young age” when Yusof was sworn in as Singapore’s first... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3307388/puan-noor-aishah-wife-singapores-first-president-dies-aged-91?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3307388/puan-noor-aishah-wife-singapores-first-president-dies-aged-91?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Apr 2025 03:03:05 +0000 Washington’s delay of its so-called reciprocal tariffs is “little comfort” for Singapore, with “great uncertainty for businesses everywhere” already caused by the looming levies, the city state’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has warned. Speaking at the S Rajaratnam Lecture on Wednesday, Wong said companies could no longer plan “comfortably” for long-term investments, with the knowledge that “the tariff rates could be changed at a moment’s notice”. “Today, geopolitical competition has returned... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3306810/singapore-pm-says-us-tariff-delay-little-comfort-warns-against-being-passive-bystander?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3306810/singapore-pm-says-us-tariff-delay-little-comfort-warns-against-being-passive-bystander?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Apr 2025 13:10:23 +0000 Ong Beng Seng, the billionaire set to plead guilty for his role in a Singapore corruption scandal, will step down as the managing director of the property firm he founded more than four decades ago. Singapore-listed Hotel Properties Limited said Ong “wishes to devote more time to manage his medical conditions”, according to an exchange filing on Monday. He will also not put himself up for re-election as a board director at the firm’s annual general meeting on April 29. Shares of Hotel Properties... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3306402/ong-beng-seng-step-down-singapore-property-firm-amid-iswaran-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3306402/ong-beng-seng-step-down-singapore-property-firm-amid-iswaran-scandal?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Apr 2025 04:55:02 +0000 A new survey has found that four in 10 Singaporean voters would vote for the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) if the election were held tomorrow, while most have not decided who to vote for. The poll of 1,845 citizens aged 21 and above, conducted between March 25 and April 1 by market research company YouGov, found that 44 per cent of respondents have decided which party they will vote for. Nineteen per cent said they were undecided, 13 per cent were “leaning towards a particular party but... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3305804/4-10-singaporean-voters-have-decided-pap-if-election-held-tomorrow-survey?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3305804/4-10-singaporean-voters-have-decided-pap-if-election-held-tomorrow-survey?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Apr 2025 06:06:58 +0000 Singapore’s political leaders have warned of a tough road ahead after the United States unveiled sweeping global tariffs – a move described by an opposition party as scaremongering. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong sounded the alarm, warning that the likelihood of a full-blown global trade war was growing. The city state is subject to the minimum 10 per cent universal tariff on all exports to the US, among the lowest in Southeast Asia, where other nations have countered with offers to lower their... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3305481/singapores-leaders-warn-over-trump-tariff-bombshell-its-not-good-news?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3305481/singapores-leaders-warn-over-trump-tariff-bombshell-its-not-good-news?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Apr 2025 06:49:49 +0000 Singapore leaders marked the 10th death anniversary of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew on Sunday with tributes to his leadership and reflections on his contributions to the nation. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said Lee and his pioneering team defied the odds to build a nation anchored in meritocracy, strengthened by economic resilience and held together by a deep commitment to harmony. “Singapore today stands as a living testament to his vision – a clean, green, and dynamic city state,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3303503/lee-kuan-yews-10th-death-anniversary-pm-wong-says-singapore-story-still-being-written?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3303503/lee-kuan-yews-10th-death-anniversary-pm-wong-says-singapore-story-still-being-written?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Mar 2025 06:04:04 +0000 Inflation in Singapore was driven by global factors such as wars, supply chain disruptions and rising energy costs, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Friday as he refuted criticism from the opposition that the rise in the goods and services tax (GST) had “turbocharged” price increases. “Even before the GST increase, prices were already going up globally and in Singapore. And here in Singapore, the central bank … had assessed that the effect of the GST increase on inflation would be... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3300530/singapores-pm-wong-clashes-pritam-singh-over-gst-hike-poor-marksmanship?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3300530/singapores-pm-wong-clashes-pritam-singh-over-gst-hike-poor-marksmanship?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Feb 2025 07:39:32 +0000 A widely shared New York Times video on “tyranny” in four countries featuring the grandson of Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew has drawn the ire of the city state’s government, with its envoy to the US saying Li Shengwu is “masquerading as a persecuted dissident”. The opinion video, titled How Tyranny Begins, was circulated on social media platforms and forums soon after its publication last Wednesday. Besides Li, the nephew of Singapore Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3296482/singapore-slams-li-shengwu-over-new-york-times-how-tyranny-begins-video?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3296482/singapore-slams-li-shengwu-over-new-york-times-how-tyranny-begins-video?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Jan 2025 11:36:27 +0000 Singapore on Wednesday took its first step towards calling for a general election, with the government announcing that a committee tasked with setting electoral boundaries has been formed. Analysts told This Week In Asia that the move to create the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee (EBRC) paved the way for a midyear election, which would be centred on bread-and-butter issues. The EBRC’s formation is typically the first indication of the election season in Singapore. Over the past four... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3295800/singapore-takes-first-step-towards-general-election-analysts-predict-midyear-polls?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3295800/singapore-takes-first-step-towards-general-election-analysts-predict-midyear-polls?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Jan 2025 08:23:24 +0000 Singapore’s new racial harmony law will grant the government “greater legislative teeth” to tackle domestic racial issues, according to observers who also say the move is a response to increasing polarisation among different ethnic groups worldwide. The Maintenance of Racial Harmony Bill, which was tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, expands authorities’ powers to issue restraining orders, implement community remedial actions, and introduce safeguards against foreign influence in designated... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3293947/singapores-new-law-aims-protect-racial-groups-against-foreign-interference?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3293947/singapores-new-law-aims-protect-racial-groups-against-foreign-interference?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Jan 2025 12:29:43 +0000