https://www.scmp.com/rss/942/feed Amy Chew is an independent journalist based in Kuala Lumpur. She covers Southeast Asia and parts of the Middle East. She was previously based in Indonesia, Hong Kong and Singapore. A former correspondent for Channel NewsAsia and Reuters, she has also worked in investment banking where she was an analyst for Daiwa Capital Markets Singapore. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Amy Chew Amy Chew Indonesia is still “considering” acquiring Chinese J-10 fighter jets, but no decision has been made yet, according to Jakarta’s Ministry of Defence, clarifying earlier reports that the country was set to buy up to 42 units to modernise its military. “It’s still being analysed and reviewed. At the moment, we are considering all platforms that can fulfil our need to help guard our sovereignty and territorial integrity,” ministry spokesman Brigadier General Frega Wenas Inkiriwang said. On October... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3330979/indonesia-still-considering-buying-chinese-j-10-fighter-jets-modernise-its-military?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3330979/indonesia-still-considering-buying-chinese-j-10-fighter-jets-modernise-its-military?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Oct 2025 02:00:16 +0000 Amy Chew Amy Chew For much of his life, Kim Aris, 48, the younger son of Myanmar’s detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, stayed out of the spotlight and kept his silence. He avoided the media even as they sought him out, snapping his pictures in a frenzy during those rare times when he was allowed to visit his famous mother in Myanmar. But following the 2021 coup that saw the military junta jail his mother, London-based Aris reluctantly stepped forward to speak out in the hope of alerting the world to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3327542/aung-san-suu-kyis-son-seeks-chinas-help-secure-her-release-myanmar-jail?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3327542/aung-san-suu-kyis-son-seeks-chinas-help-secure-her-release-myanmar-jail?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Oct 2025 10:00:14 +0000 Amy Chew Amy Chew Growing air travel in Southeast Asia and backlogs in Airbus and Boeing deliveries are driving regional interest in China’s C919 passenger jet, according to Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke. China is promoting aircraft made by Shanghai-based Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac) – including the C919, the country’s first home-grown narrowbody airliner – as cheaper alternatives to aircraft manufactured by Airbus and Boeing. Loke told the Post recently that Malaysian budget... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3320247/malaysian-airlines-interested-chinas-c919-jet-countrys-transport-minister-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3320247/malaysian-airlines-interested-chinas-c919-jet-countrys-transport-minister-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Jul 2025 07:00:09 +0000 Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers are hoping to establish trade and investment ties with Muslim-majority Malaysia in an effort to revive their country’s crippled economy ahead of the third anniversary of the US withdrawal on August 30. While Kuala Lumpur does not officially recognise the Taliban government, Malaysian officials, NGOs and business officials have been visiting Afghanistan to explore ways to establish ties with various stakeholders. “We would like to have good and positive relations with... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3275945/taliban-courts-malaysia-trade-and-investment-amid-afghanistans-economic-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3275945/taliban-courts-malaysia-trade-and-investment-amid-afghanistans-economic-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Aug 2024 09:00:20 +0000 Indonesia’s President-elect Prabowo Subianto will face a challenging economic landscape when he takes office in October, marked by slowing growth and heightened geopolitical uncertainties. Indonesia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) and economists say weak domestic consumption, high interest rates, falling commodity prices, geopolitical tensions, rising debts in state-own enterprises and China’s struggling economy are among the many hurdles awaiting Prabowo. “Kadin Indonesia is closely... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3273197/can-prabowos-economic-policies-steer-indonesia-through-troubled-waters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3273197/can-prabowos-economic-policies-steer-indonesia-through-troubled-waters?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Aug 2024 04:00:16 +0000 Ukraine hopes China will play a constructive role in regional and global security following the recent signing of a treaty by Russia and North Korea that includes mutual help in the event of an attack on either country. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told This Week In Asia that the Russia-North Korea comprehensive strategic partnership agreement threatened to disrupt the security balance in the region. Kuleba is in China on Tuesday for a four-day visit following an invitation by... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3271611/ukraine-urges-china-play-constructive-role-security-following-putin-kim-pact?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3271611/ukraine-urges-china-play-constructive-role-security-following-putin-kim-pact?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Jul 2024 04:00:16 +0000 Dressed in a white shirt and black pants, Scot Choo stepped onto a podium to read out the names of the pilots and cabin crew of the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines MH17. At a memorial service to mark the 10th anniversary of the downing of the plane, the 21-year-old Malaysian highlighted one of the four pilots who flew MH17 in his tribute: his father. All 298 passengers and cabin crew on board the flight were killed after a missile was fired at the plane by pro-Russian rebels over Ukraine on July 17,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3270981/mh17-10-years-malaysian-aspires-follow-pilot-fathers-career-tribute-crew?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3270981/mh17-10-years-malaysian-aspires-follow-pilot-fathers-career-tribute-crew?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Jul 2024 02:00:15 +0000 Inside the military air base of Gilze-Rijen, a municipality in the southern Netherlands, the sliding doors to a hangar open to reveal the reconstructed wreckage of Malaysia Airlines MH17 and remind the world of the killings of all 298 passengers and crew on board 10 years ago after the aircraft was shot down by a surface-to-air missile fired by pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine. At the MH17 National Monument at Vijfhuizen Park near Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, a tree has been planted for every... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3270807/mh17-10-years-russias-lies-murdered-victims-twice-ukraine-foreign-minister-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3270807/mh17-10-years-russias-lies-murdered-victims-twice-ukraine-foreign-minister-says?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Jul 2024 09:03:32 +0000 It’s been 10 years since Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down by pro-Russian separatists over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 passengers and crew on board. But a decade later, the families and victims are still grappling with unimaginable grief – slowly trying to rebuild their shattered lives in the harrowing aftermath. Disturbing images and disinformation surrounding the tragedy continue to resurface online, making it painfully difficult for the victims’ next of kin to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3270614/world-has-forgotten-us-mh17-disaster-haunts-victims-families-10-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3270614/world-has-forgotten-us-mh17-disaster-haunts-victims-families-10-years?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Jul 2024 00:00:10 +0000 In a rare admission, Indonesia’s government acknowledged on Friday the need to address sustainability in its nickel industry after German chemical giant BASF and French miner Eramet cancelled a US$2.6 billion nickel-cobalt refining complex project in the mineral-rich country. The termination comes amid falling prices of nickel and a campaign by non-government organisations who say the project in North Maluku province risked destroying rainforest inhabited by indigenous people. “BASF’s decision... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3269420/indonesia-gets-wake-call-step-sustainability-efforts-nickel-industry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3269420/indonesia-gets-wake-call-step-sustainability-efforts-nickel-industry?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jul 2024 03:07:08 +0000 Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to speak at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Sunday as he seeks international support for his country’s peace plan in its ongoing war against Russia amid fierce advances by Russian troops. “President Zelensky will speak at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on June 2,” a source in Kyiv told This Week in Asia. The regional security conference at the Shangri-La Hotel began on Friday and will end on Sunday. It is understood that Zelensky... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3264924/ukraines-zelensky-visit-singapore-seek-support-peace-plan-shangri-la-dialogue-kyiv-source?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3264924/ukraines-zelensky-visit-singapore-seek-support-peace-plan-shangri-la-dialogue-kyiv-source?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 May 2024 10:30:56 +0000 A deadly assault on a police station in Malaysia’s Johor state last week has highlighted the enduring dangers of violent extremism in a country that closely monitors militancy and has not experienced a major terror attack in over two decades. The 21-year-old attacker who killed two policemen in the Johor Bahru suburb of Ulu Tiram on Friday was shot dead at the scene. He was reportedly buried on Monday in an isolated grave as a mark of condemnation, in accordance with instructions from the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3263486/malaysias-isis-sympathisers-draw-focus-after-deadly-ulu-tiram-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3263486/malaysias-isis-sympathisers-draw-focus-after-deadly-ulu-tiram-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 May 2024 07:50:08 +0000 The Taliban has said the ban on Afghan women and girls from attending schools and universities is “not permanent”, saying their education is being “postponed”. “I would like to make it clear that it is not a permanent ban on women’s education, it has been postponed until a conducive environment is created for their education,” Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said. On December 21, the Taliban’s higher education minister announced women would be banned from Afghanistan’s universities, sparking... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3206036/taliban-insists-ban-women-afghan-schools-and-universities-not-permanent-and-their-education-being?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3206036/taliban-insists-ban-women-afghan-schools-and-universities-not-permanent-and-their-education-being?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Jan 2023 22:00:19 +0000 Chinese nationals will remain a target in 2023 for an Islamic State offshoot operating in Afghanistan, because of China’s alleged suppression of ethnic Uygur minorities in Xinjiang, according to analysts. China’s ties with the Taliban will add to the risks for its citizens in Afghanistan as the Islamic State Khorasan (Isis-K) militant group tries to undermine the regime by raising doubts over its security guarantees for foreign investors, they say. Five Chinese nationals were seriously wounded... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3205850/why-isis-offshoot-still-threat-chinas-businesspeople-afghanistan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3205850/why-isis-offshoot-still-threat-chinas-businesspeople-afghanistan?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Jan 2023 22:00:13 +0000 The Taliban has said it will guarantee the safety of Chinese nationals in Afghanistan, three weeks after an Islamic State affiliate attacked a Kabul hotel that caters to Chinese businesspeople. Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen told the Post on Wednesday that the regime had an “obligation” to maintain the safety of Chinese nationals. “The current government reiterates its obligation to maintain the safety of Chinese nationals and all other nationals who are coming to Afghanistan either for... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3205966/taliban-committed-safety-chinese-afghanistan-after-isis-attack-kabul-hotel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3205966/taliban-committed-safety-chinese-afghanistan-after-isis-attack-kabul-hotel?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Jan 2023 04:00:15 +0000 A Colombo-based human rights groups has called on the Sri Lankan government to do more and take responsibility for seven of its citizens who said they were captured and tortured by Russians in eastern Ukraine. The seven, freed last month when Ukrainian forces retook the eastern Kharkiv region, recounted beatings and forced labour at the hands of their Russian captors. One of the victims was shot in the foot and another had his toe nail torn off. “It’s the responsibility of the government to look... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/3195220/every-day-they-tortured-us-sri-lanka-urged-do-more-7-citizens-freed-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/3195220/every-day-they-tortured-us-sri-lanka-urged-do-more-7-citizens-freed-after?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Oct 2022 08:00:11 +0000 Chinese embassies in Southeast Asia have been using local media to tell a positive “China’s story” in the region, with a core theme of the messaging being Beijing’s denunciation of Western narratives about its domestic politics and foreign policies, according to a recent report. China regards these narratives as driven by a “Cold War mentality” where Western countries are motivated to demonise its achievements and sabotage solidarity among Asian countries with the ultimate aim of containing its... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3193714/chinas-southeast-asia-embassies-use-local-media-tell-positive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3193714/chinas-southeast-asia-embassies-use-local-media-tell-positive?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Sep 2022 04:00:13 +0000 Beijing’s zero-Covid policy and troubles in the property market have had a “manageable” impact on the economy of Malaysia, whose largest trading partner is China, economists say. “At first, we thought it would hit us hard as it is Malaysia’s largest trading partner, accounting for 18.9 per cent of our total trade, 15.9 per cent of our exports and 32 per cent of imports,” said Lee Heng Guie, executive director of the Kuala Lumpur-based Socio-Economic Research Centre (SERC). But, he added, China’s... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3192620/malaysias-economy-doing-fine-despite-top-trade-partner-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3192620/malaysias-economy-doing-fine-despite-top-trade-partner-chinas?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Sep 2022 11:00:12 +0000 Floods, heatwaves and rainfall-induced landslides are the top concerns in Southeast Asia on climate change with almost half of its citizens – 49.3 per cent – saying there is a lack of political will to mitigate the threats, according to a new report released on Thursday. The Southeast Asia Climate Outlook: 2022 Survey Report, the third such survey by the Singapore-based ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, comes against the backdrop of Pakistan’s devastating floods which left one-third of the country... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3191857/floods-heatwaves-landslides-food-security-southeast?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3191857/floods-heatwaves-landslides-food-security-southeast?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Sep 2022 00:32:11 +0000 As the 20th anniversary of the devastating 2002 Bali bombings nears, grief and remorse has cast a pall over Indonesia’s ties with Australia which lost 88 citizens in the attack that killed 202 people. Eleven Hong Kong residents were also killed. The source of discord is Indonesian Umar Patek – jailed for 20 years for helping make the car bombs and suicide vests that ripped through two Bali nightclubs on October 12, 2002. He became eligible for parole in August after a series of remissions for... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3191280/bomb-maker-behind-bali-blasts-sorry-has-deradicalised-umar-patek?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3191280/bomb-maker-behind-bali-blasts-sorry-has-deradicalised-umar-patek?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Sep 2022 00:30:12 +0000 High premiums for banks and insurance companies have become a major constraint in financing and underwriting the perilous journey of ships from the Black Sea bringing much needed grain to the world. One shipowner told This Week in Asia that is now a “limiting factor” in averting a global hunger crisis. Russia’s naval blockade of Ukrainian ports in the Black Sea trapped more than 20 million tonnes of grains from leaving the country, sending food prices soaring and causing food shortages and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3190487/ukraine-war-fees-insuring-black-sea-grain-ships-have-become?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3190487/ukraine-war-fees-insuring-black-sea-grain-ships-have-become?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Aug 2022 00:30:12 +0000 Ukraine has urged Southeast Asian countries to reconsider their previously sizeable arms procurements from Russia, saying Moscow’s poor performance on the battlefield served as a cautionary tale about the quality of its arms. Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba’s comments came as he was responding to questions from This Week in Asia during a group interview with Asian journalists on Wednesday. Defence analysts said that countries were already diversifying their weapons imports in the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3189396/ukraines-foreign-minister-tells-southeast-asia-reconsider-buying?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3189396/ukraines-foreign-minister-tells-southeast-asia-reconsider-buying?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Aug 2022 12:45:11 +0000 Piracy and sea robberies (PSR) are likely to rise in Southeast Asia in the second half of this year due to economic issues from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to a recent report by a Singapore government-affiliated think tank. The Singapore Strait, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, remains the most serious PSR black spots, with the number of attacks there having increased significantly since late 2019, according to report author Ian Storey, a senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3188471/more-pirate-attacks-expected-singapore-strait-year-amid-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3188471/more-pirate-attacks-expected-singapore-strait-year-amid-ukraine?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Aug 2022 00:54:56 +0000 Ukraine is seeking an opportunity to speak “directly” with China about its ongoing war with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said, noting that his country had consistently sought close ties with Beijing in the years preceding the conflict. In an exclusive interview with the Post, the Ukrainian leader urged the Asian superpower to use its outsize political and economic influence over Russia to bring the fighting to a stop. “It’s a very powerful state. It’s a powerful economy … So (it) can... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3187580/volodymyr-zelensky-seeking-direct-talks-chinas-xi-jinping-help?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3187580/volodymyr-zelensky-seeking-direct-talks-chinas-xi-jinping-help?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Aug 2022 23:00:26 +0000 The separatist Uygur East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) that China blames for terror attacks in its far-western region of Xinjiang remains in Afghanistan, and is believed to have rebuilt several of its strongholds there, according to analysts and a United Nations Security Council report. After the Taliban returned to power last year, China pledged support for the leaders while demanding it crack down on ETIM, also known as the Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP). ETIM operates in Afghanistan and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3186820/uygur-separatist-group-rebuilds-bases-afghanistan-even-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3186820/uygur-separatist-group-rebuilds-bases-afghanistan-even-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Jul 2022 00:30:15 +0000 The Taliban is reaching out to Muslim-majority nations far from Afghanistan, like Malaysia and Indonesia, to create the perception that an increasing number of countries are interested in engaging with the regime to “strengthen their case for international recognition”, say analysts. On Sunday, the Taliban’s acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi met Malaysia’s special adviser on Afghanistan, Ahmad Azam Abdul Rahman, to discuss banking, education, bilateral cooperation and scholarships for... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3186491/taliban-talks-malaysia-indonesia-other-far-muslim-majority?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3186491/taliban-talks-malaysia-indonesia-other-far-muslim-majority?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Jul 2022 09:15:21 +0000 For the past eight years, families of the passengers and crew of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, shot down by pro-Russian rebels over Ukraine on July 17, 2014, have been rebuilding their shattered lives. The pain of their loved ones’ deaths when they fell from the skies onto fields of sunflowers was slowly easing. But when Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, images of innocent Ukrainian civilians killed by Russian bombs and guns burst open old wounds, reigniting the senselessness of the deaths... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3185052/mh17s-anniversary-nears-families-victims-2014-tragedy-blast?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3185052/mh17s-anniversary-nears-families-victims-2014-tragedy-blast?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Jul 2022 01:03:26 +0000 The children of Filipino military and police officers have for decades been “easy targets” for radicalisation and recruitment by the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, say experts, as concerns grow over the organisation deemed one of the country’s “most serious” security threats. Communist rebels have waged an armed insurgency against Manila for more than five decades, and the targeting of children of uniformed officers has been a way for the CPP to gain access to all... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3184212/philippine-children-uniformed-officers-targeted-easy-prey?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3184212/philippine-children-uniformed-officers-targeted-easy-prey?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Jul 2022 12:00:19 +0000 Ahead of Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week, analysts expressed doubt over Widodo’s ability to convince Moscow to end the war in Ukraine, suggesting that Jokowi, as he is popularly known, will focus on issues immediate to his “domestic and global legacy” as his term draws to a close in 2024. These include the sharply higher cost of food worldwide in light of Moscow’s war on Ukraine, now entering its fifth month. “Unfortunately, I don’t see... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3183260/indonesias-jokowi-likely-talk-food-prices-putin-even-he-calls?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3183260/indonesias-jokowi-likely-talk-food-prices-putin-even-he-calls?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Jun 2022 12:08:36 +0000 A convoy of motorcyclists in green jackets, who last month sparked an outcry after they waved banners promoting turning Indonesia into a caliphate, are part of an Islamist group that includes members from as far away as Australia, analysts said. On May 29, the men converged in the east of capital Jakarta on motorbikes holding up banners bearing the words, “Greet the Rise of Islamic Caliphate”, in an incident which went viral on social media. A similar convoy occurred in Brebes, Central... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3182448/indonesian-islamist-group-khilafatul-muslimin-hundreds-thousands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3182448/indonesian-islamist-group-khilafatul-muslimin-hundreds-thousands?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jun 2022 01:34:59 +0000 Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Wednesday announced a minor cabinet reshuffle, with trade minister Muhammad Lutfi replaced after coming under pressure due to a surge in domestic palm oil prices. Replacing Lutfi will be Zulkifli Hasan from the National Mandate Party (known as PAN), which this year joined Widodo’s wide-ranging ruling coalition. Also included in Wednesday’s reshuffle was former armed forces chief Hadi Tjahjanto who became minister of agrarian affairs and spatial... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3181819/palm-oil-mafia-minister-out-indonesias-jokowi-dumps-lutfi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3181819/palm-oil-mafia-minister-out-indonesias-jokowi-dumps-lutfi?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Jun 2022 11:42:23 +0000 Indonesian martial arts star Iko Uwais, who rose to fame starring in action films in Hollywood and Netflix’s Wu Assassins TV series, has been accused of assaulting his interior designer, a charge which he denied, local press reported on Tuesday. Uwais had a police report lodged against him on Monday by someone who worked on his home. On Tuesday, the 39-year-old actor lodged a police report against the interior designer known by his initial “R” for criminal act and slander, CNN Indonesia... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3181648/iko-uwais-indonesian-martial-arts-star-who-rose-fame-hollywood-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3181648/iko-uwais-indonesian-martial-arts-star-who-rose-fame-hollywood-and?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Jun 2022 09:19:33 +0000 In the first quarter of 2022, Indonesia’s unemployment rate dropped to 5.83 per cent from 6.26 per cent in the same quarter a year earlier, amid an improvement in the country’s economy after the effects of the pandemic. The country’s youth accounted for almost half of the 8.4 million people unemployed, the total number out of work in the country at the end of March after a fall of 0.35 million in the first three months of the year. Unemployment in Indonesia – which has more than 270 million... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3181279/indonesias-reasons-be-cheerful-youths-prospects-improve-amid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3181279/indonesias-reasons-be-cheerful-youths-prospects-improve-amid?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Jun 2022 00:30:17 +0000 The scale of the global food crisis that has followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine cannot be underestimated. The United Nations has said the conflict could precipitate a “hurricane of hunger”–especially in developing countries – given that 30 per cent of the world’s grain exports originate from the warring countries. To compound matters, rising protectionism is severely distorting prices. From India to Malaysia and Indonesia, governments have recently clamped down on the exports of staples such... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3180326/can-world-spend-its-way-out-current-global-food-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3180326/can-world-spend-its-way-out-current-global-food-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Jun 2022 02:00:23 +0000 Disputes over compensation, forced relocations and an influx of unskilled Chinese workers continue to plague belt and road projects in Southeast Asia, as the pandemic has sped up China’s pivot towards prioritising digital and health infrastructure, according to a new report. Concerns about the social and environmental costs of the Belt and Road Initiative “will persist”, the study published last week by Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute said, influencing local perceptions on Beijing’s push... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3180162/chinas-belt-and-road-plans-southeast-asia-face-uncertain-long?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3180162/chinas-belt-and-road-plans-southeast-asia-face-uncertain-long?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Jun 2022 09:43:00 +0000 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that come July, the world will see the real extent of the food insecurity brought on by Russia’s invasion of his country when stocks from the previous year are used up and destitution will visit the “already poor”. He said on Friday that the United Nation’s estimate of over 40 million people facing the prospect of hunger this year was “conservative” and a “catastrophe” is looming. “In July, when many countries will see their stocks from the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3179491/hunger-catastrophe-looming-zelensky-warns-jakarta-town-hall?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3179491/hunger-catastrophe-looming-zelensky-warns-jakarta-town-hall?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 May 2022 01:30:08 +0000 Images of wrecked and abandoned vehicles – casualties in Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine – are calling into question the quality and reliability of Russian-made military hardware. A recent report by the Singapore-based ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute found that the conflict has damaged the reputation of Russia’s defence equipment in Southeast Asia, once a source of considerable revenue for the country. Russia has been the largest exporter of arms to Southeast Asia over the past two decades, but since... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3177545/russian-military-hardware-wrecked-ukraine-war-could-lower-demand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3177545/russian-military-hardware-wrecked-ukraine-war-could-lower-demand?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 May 2022 00:00:18 +0000 In 2017, pro-Islamic State militants sprang a five-month siege on the southern Philippine city of Marawi in the terror organisation’s most serious assault in Southeast Asia, unsettling governments across the region. The onslaught at Mindanao island, led by the local Maute Group, was believed to involve fighters from Malaysia, Indonesia and the Middle East, and killed more than 1,200 people. Today, Mindanao remains a hotbed for militant activities, as well as a long-running insurgency by the New... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3176373/what-challenges-will-next-philippine-leader-face-militant-hotbed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3176373/what-challenges-will-next-philippine-leader-face-militant-hotbed?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 May 2022 23:45:16 +0000 Several Indonesian women living in Ukraine are refusing to leave their adopted homeland despite narrowly escaping bombings, and having rockets fly above their heads. Some of these ladies have also had their homes ransacked by Russian soldiers, but are standing by their Ukrainian husbands whom they proudly declared as “very good men.” They are among some 21 Indonesian citizens who have remained in Ukraine since the war broke out on February 24 due to “family-related issues,” said Teuku Faizasyah,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/3176079/indonesian-women-ukraine-escape-russian-bombings-refuse-leave-their?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/3176079/indonesian-women-ukraine-escape-russian-bombings-refuse-leave-their?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 May 2022 10:30:19 +0000 Indonesia’s decision to ban palm oil exports has sent the commodity’s price soaring, triggering warnings it would worsen food inflation, cut spending power of consumers and lead to social unrest. Indonesia is the world’s largest exporter of vegetable oils, with a share in the region of 35 per cent of the total of all oils, followed by Malaysia with 20 per cent, said James Fry, a commodities expert and chairman of the agribusiness consultancy LMC International. “Indonesia’s decision affects not... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3175456/indonesian-palm-oil-export-ban-could-lead-unrest-food-inflation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3175456/indonesian-palm-oil-export-ban-could-lead-unrest-food-inflation?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Apr 2022 10:30:20 +0000 An Indonesian Islamic militant group, which once fought an armed insurgency against Jakarta, is believed to be plotting to overthrow the government before the 2024 General elections, say counterterrorism police. The Islamic State of Indonesia (NII), founded more than seven decades ago, is “recruiting, undergoing para military training and procuring weapons,” Aswin Siregar, head of operations of Detachment 88 (Densus88), the counterterrorism squad of Indonesia’s national police, told This Week in... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3175352/indonesian-militant-groups-plot-overthrow-jokowi-may-be-far?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3175352/indonesian-militant-groups-plot-overthrow-jokowi-may-be-far?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Apr 2022 10:00:22 +0000 Malaysian palm oil exports could see a prolonged lift as the Russia-Ukraine war drags on indefinitely, observers say, as the likes of India and the European Union secure alternatives to sunflower and rapeseed oil no longer available from Ukraine. A prominent geopolitical risk forecaster suggested the conflict – now in its second month – could drag on for 15 years, likening it to the civil strife in Syria. Data released this week by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board showed exports of the commodity... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3174266/ukraine-war-benefits-malaysian-palm-oil-foreign-worker-shortage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3174266/ukraine-war-benefits-malaysian-palm-oil-foreign-worker-shortage?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Apr 2022 09:36:14 +0000 A Malaysian scientist who once allegedly attempted to make weapons of mass destruction for al-Qaeda is now a “changed man”, says the country’s top counterterrorism official, and has been living a regular life since he was released from surveillance in November. Yazid Sufaat, 58, an al-Qaeda operative who helped to set up a laboratory in Afghanistan to cultivate anthrax, had served a string of jail sentences in Malaysia for terror-related offences. The US-trained biochemist was released in... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3173510/malaysian-scientist-who-ran-al-qaedas-anthrax-lab-freed-police?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3173510/malaysian-scientist-who-ran-al-qaedas-anthrax-lab-freed-police?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 Apr 2022 02:29:11 +0000 There may be a resurgence in terrorist activities around the world as governments move to ease coronavirus-related travel restrictions, according to Singapore’s defence minister Ng Eng Hen. Concerns about terror groups and their continued recruitment and radicalisation activities in cyberspace, during the two years since the Covid-19 began, were among the hot topics at the Putrajaya Forum, an event held biennially in conjunction with the Defence Services Asia trade show. In December, the UN... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3172414/terror-groups-may-target-asia-global-travel-reopens-singapore?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3172414/terror-groups-may-target-asia-global-travel-reopens-singapore?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Mar 2022 09:21:25 +0000 Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines have lauded the success of a 2017 agreement to conduct joint patrols and share intelligence about activities in waters in their region once prone to kidnappings, and pledged to deepen the pact. The defence ministers of the three countries praised the Trilateral Cooperation Agreement (TCA) after a meeting on the sidelines of the biennial Defence Services Asia trade show in Kuala Lumpur. The TCA was signed in 2017 amid a spate of piracy attacks and... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/3172185/indonesia-malaysia-philippines-praise-zero-kidnapping-anti-piracy-naval?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/3172185/indonesia-malaysia-philippines-praise-zero-kidnapping-anti-piracy-naval?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Mar 2022 00:30:22 +0000 As food commodity prices surge at the fastest pace in a decade, experts are warning that policymakers in Asia and elsewhere will soon have to grapple with urgent questions about the use of biofuels. Countries around the world, from the United States, China, Malaysia and Indonesia all have what is known as a biofuel mandate – where the government requires refiners to blend certain biofuels such as corn-based ethanol, soy-based diesel, palm oil biodiesel and other biofuels into fuel each year or... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3171853/russias-war-ukraine-threatens-global-food-supply-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3171853/russias-war-ukraine-threatens-global-food-supply-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Mar 2022 08:08:52 +0000 The newly appointed ethnic Chinese leader of Malaysia’s largest opposition party said he remains hopeful that citizens will reject corruption-tainted political leaders even amid a seeming resurgence in the clout of the scandal-haunted ex-prime minister Najib Razak. The Democratic Action Party, a constituent of the Pakatan Harapan alliance, has long telegraphed that 44-year-old Anthony Loke would be its likely next leader, and the veteran politician assumed the position after internal elections... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3171408/malaysian-politics-daps-new-leader-anthony-loke-hopeful-voters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3171408/malaysian-politics-daps-new-leader-anthony-loke-hopeful-voters?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Mar 2022 11:00:24 +0000 Russian and Ukrainian envoys to Indonesia are courting the country’s largest moderate Islamic group Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), in acknowledgement of its political influence on leaders of Southeast Asia’s largest economy. Last week, Ukraine’s envoy met with the recently elected NU leader Yahya Staquf. The next day, the Russian envoy showed up at NU’s headquarters in Jakarta. After the meeting, Staquf called the events in Ukraine a “war” and called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to “stop the war... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3170667/russia-and-ukraine-jostle-support-worlds-largest-islamic-group?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3170667/russia-and-ukraine-jostle-support-worlds-largest-islamic-group?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Mar 2022 01:30:29 +0000 Southeast Asia has more than 70 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), accounting for some 97 per cent of all the region’s companies and at least 29.7 million tonnes of carbon emissions each year. This total, which is greater than the whole of Brunei and Cambodia’s annual emissions combined and comes close to equalling Laos’, makes SMEs an important force in the fight against climate change. But analysts said such companies are often hampered by limited financial resources, as well... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3169063/southeast-asias-smes-emit-more-carbon-cambodia-and-need-state?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3169063/southeast-asias-smes-emit-more-carbon-cambodia-and-need-state?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Mar 2022 05:00:28 +0000 As Russia intensifies its attacks in Ukraine, the Ukrainian ambassador to Malaysia has urged the international community to stop doing business with Russia as “every dollar earned would be used to fund the criminal war”. Ambassador Olexander Nechytaylo spoke to This Week In Asia as Russia sent paratroopers to encircle key cities in Ukraine and amid reports of Putin’s forces taking control of the major city of Kherson in the south. “Every dollar earned by Russia will be spent directly or... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3169126/we-may-be-bleeding-we-will-never-give-ukrainian-ambassador?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3169126/we-may-be-bleeding-we-will-never-give-ukrainian-ambassador?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Mar 2022 11:51:28 +0000