Malaysia
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Malaysia

Malaysia
Malaysia
Latest news, in-depth features and opinion on Malaysia, covering politics, economy, society and the Asean member-nation’s relationships with China, Singapore, and other Southeast Asian countries.
Capital
Kuala Lumpur
Head of State
Sultan Ibrahim ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar
Head of Government
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim
Anwar Ibrahim
Long Sa Kow arrives at the Kulai Magistrate’s Court in Johor, Malaysia, on Wednesday. Photo: CNA
Singapore

Johor fines man US$2,200 for masking Singapore plate to buy subsidised fuel

A judge said Long Sa Kow will be required to serve nine months’ imprisonment if he fails to pay the fine.

Singapore

Can Singapore’s farming future grow in Malaysia’s US$123 million food hub?

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Singapore

Singapore urged to expand Johor SEZ to Indonesia to deepen Asean integration

Donald Trump

‘No oil here’: Malaysians turn US embassy space post into foreign-policy satire

The embassy’s International Space Station image prompted self-deprecating jokes about oil, US power and being strategically uninteresting.

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A worker carries a bunch of oil palm fruit at a plantation in Slim River, Malaysia. Malaysians repeatedly referenced palm oil in online jokes responding to a recent US embassy space photo, stressing the country has palm oil rather than crude petroleum. Photo: Reuters
Japan

Japan’s Princess Kako targeted in viral Grok AI deepfakes trend

Images of the princess in a blue dress during a recent event were used to generate deepfakes, including of her naked and covered in tattoos.

Malaysian politics

‘Urgently needed’: Malaysia’s chief justice demands more judges as caseloads soar

Chief Justice Wan Ahmad Farid warns court backlogs expose judicial shortages and urgent calls for reform in Malaysia’s legal system.

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Singapore

Malaysian petrol station operators fume as foreign fuel cheats go unpunished

Foreign cars exploiting Malaysia’s subsidised RON95 fuel spark calls for stricter penalties on vehicle owners, not just petrol stations.

A fuel station in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Social media

Fast and furious: Malaysian streetwear boss suspended after road rage video

The Stoned & Co co-founder, seen on camera tailgating and blocking a car after being honked at, has apologised for his ‘poor judgment’.

SCMP Highlights

Matricide in Indonesia, Philippine Airlines’ viral video: 7 Asia highlights

From India becoming the world’s fourth largest economy to Philippine Airlines’ viral safety video, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

Baby formula

‘Who can we trust?’: Nestle formula recall rattles Malaysian parents

Despite assurances that local stocks are safe, wary parents are scouring ingredient lists and doing their own ‘due diligence’.

Health warnings related to baby milk formula recall have been issued by dozens of governments, from Europe and Australia to Brazil, South Africa, Hong Kong and Singapore. Photo: Shutterstock
Crime

Malaysian man posing as security guard robbed couple, abused woman: police

The suspect took the couple’s identity cards and forced the 19-year-old woman to perform an indecent act with him, police said.

Malaysian police have arrested a 24-year-old local man over allegations he posed as a security guard to rob a young couple in a car park in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: Shutterstock
Asia housing and property

The View | 3 factors Asia’s real estate investors must watch in 2026

Asia might have sidestepped the worst of Trump’s tariffs, but investors should focus on price growth, Japan’s resilience and the sustainability of the data centre boom.

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Drugs

Malaysian man who used home labs to brew drug drinks worth US$246,000 arrested

The suspect was using residences to process and store drug-laced soft drinks with a street value of up to US$75 per bottle, police say.

Anwar Ibrahim

‘We are not criminals’: Malaysian LGBTQ event faces conservative backlash

Police have launched an investigation into ‘Glamping With Pride’ after Islamic authorities raised an outcry.

A man holds a rainbow flag, commonly used to signal LGBT pride. Photo: Shutterstock
SCMP Highlights

China’s militarism call, Malaysia-Singapore border chaos: 5 weekend reads

From China’s underground engineering triumph to calls to curb Japan militarism, here are five stories you may have missed over the weekend.

China and the US should work together to thwart any plot to revive the spectre of militarism in Japan, according to a Chinese embassy official in Washington. Photo: Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
Artificial intelligence

Malaysia suspends Grok access amid global backlash on Musk’s AI

The regulating commission deemed the platform’s safeguards inadequate, adding that access would resume only after the required changes are verified.

Thailand

4 injured in bombings in Thailand’s south amid ongoing insurgency

Security agencies believed the attacks were a ‘signal’ timed with elections for local administrators taking place on Sunday, and ‘not aimed at insurgency’.

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Pop culture in Asia

Soft power, hard cash: inside Southeast Asia’s billion-dollar anime obsession

Driven by Gen Z spending and streaming, the region’s US$1.3 billion anime market represents a triumph for Japan’s cultural push.

Fans attend last year’s Anime Festival Asia in Singapore. The event consistently draws more than 100,000 visitors. Photo: SOZO/Handout
Royal Malaysian Air Force

Malaysia vows crackdown on air force officers’ ‘immoral culture’

The air force is investigating the ‘yeye culture’ scandal involving 20 officers, pledging strict action against those found guilty.

Singapore

System failure at Malaysia-Singapore border leaves thousands stranded

Intermittent faults had plagued the system for days before a total crash caused weekend misery for thousands.

Artificial intelligence

‘No taste’: Malaysia’s Life of Pi and Squid Game artists warn against AI rush

After viewers slammed AI-enhanced films for looking ‘cheap’, local experts warn that algorithms serve profit, not storytelling.

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“Life of Pi”, directed by Ang Lee, won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 2013. Photo: 20th Century Fox
Najib Razak

Malaysia’s Umno seeks Najib’s pardon amid 1MDB scandal, but stay in coalition

Umno divisions demand justice for the jailed ex-PM, yet leadership rejects calls to exit unity government ahead of the annual assembly.

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Former prime minister of Malaysia Najib Razak appears at his Kuala Lumpur appeal hearing on April 17, 2024. Photo: AFP
2025 Cambodia-Thailand conflict

US pledges millions to bolster Thailand, Cambodia truce amid Trump peace claims

Trump has listed the conflict as one of a number of wars he claims to have solved as he loudly insists he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.

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South Korea

Southeast Asia reels in buyers turfed out by Seoul’s housing crisis

Southeast Asian developers target South Koreans with luxury overseas investments, offering attractive payment plans.

Fifa

Malaysian football body risks Fifa’s takeover amid forgery scandal

Some sports fans claim that the reinstatement of FAM’s chief is ‘almost staged’ as concerns over Fifa’s next step mount.

Malaysian football players, wearing yellow shirts, battle with their Vietnamese counterparts during the AFC Asian Cup qualifier match in Kuala Lumpur in June last year. Photo: AFP
Tourism

Chinese tourist accused of harassing turtle, killing sea slugs in Malaysia

A fellow visitor from China called out the man’s actions during a dive in Sabah state’s Semporna.

A diving spot in Sabah, Malaysia. Photo: Facebook/malaysia.travel.my
SCMP Highlights

China’s ‘sweep and kill’ weapon, Malaysians opting for Singapore: 7 highlights

From China’s long game after Trump’s Venezuela operation to Eric Tsang leaving TVB, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.

Artificial intelligence

Chinese robot vacuum maker Dreame sees AI-driven appliances run household chores

The firm’s ambition is to become a ‘world-class technology company’, global president Chang Xinwei says.

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