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This Year in Asia: Indonesia sex ban, Thai weed law, Kim’s secret daughter, China border reopening and other highlights of 2022
- Southeast Asia was in the spotlight with Anwar Ibrahim finally becoming Malaysia’s PM, while Singapore repealed its anti-gay law
- Meanwhile, Pakistan was wracked by ‘super floods’, South Koreans mourned victims of the Halloween crush, while angry citizens forced out Sri Lanka’s leader
With 2022 winding down, let’s take a look back at some of the big moments in Asia over the past year that saw crowd crushes, devastating “super floods”, new leaders installed in the region, Kim Jong-un’s secret daughter in the spotlight, as well as K-pop boy band BTS’ military enlistment.
02:28
Is Kim Jong-un’s daughter next in line to be North Korean leader?
Is Kim Jong-un’s daughter next in line to be North Korean leader?
Kim Jong-un unveils daughter
While North Korea kept the region on tenterhooks with a flurry of missile launches for most of the year, leader Kim Jong-un offered a glimpse into his dynasty’s next generation by revealing his daughter to the world for the first time.
Observers said it was too early to tell whether Ju-ae, believed to be about 10 years old, was being primed as Kim Jong-un’s successor and suggested her public appearances could be linked to the leader’s attempt to be viewed as a stable father.
Thailand legalises weed
Thailand decriminalised cannabis in June to spur the economy but the law failed to establish the fine print of who is allowed to smoke, what, where, when and how.
Recreational use has exploded, creating a grey area of law enforcement, worrying parents and enraging conservative elements of Thai society, who are now pushing for the plant to be returned to the list of outlawed narcotics – or at least heavily controlled.
02:59
From prison to Malaysia’s new leader: Anwar Ibrahim appointed to top seat
From prison to Malaysia’s new leader: Anwar Ibrahim appointed to top seat
Malaysia’s Anwar realises dream
After decades as opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim in November rose to the top job in Malaysia. His political journey, which included a falling-out with veteran politician Mahathir Mohamad and two spells in prison, capped one of the most remarkable political turnarounds in modern Southeast Asian history.
Elsewhere in the region, other leaders took office this year following elections in Australia, the Philippines and Japan.
Indonesia bans premarital sex
Indonesia’s parliament approved a new criminal code that bans sex outside marriage. The new law, which will apply to locals and foreigners, also prohibits cohabitation between unmarried couples.
Jakarta also passed a bill that bans the insulting of the president or state institutions, with activists claiming the regulation could be used to suppress dissent and free speech.
03:43
Japan bids farewell to former prime minister Shinzo Abe at controversial state funeral
Japan bids farewell to former prime minister Shinzo Abe at controversial state funeral
Shinzo Abe’s death shocks world
The assassination of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe on the campaign trail exposed the Unification Church’s close ties with the ruling party and put the spotlight on other South Korea-based ‘fringe’ religious groups.
The shooter told police he killed Abe because of his apparent links to the church, which is accused of seeking donations by coercion.
Pakistan hit by ‘super floods’
Deadly floods worsened by climate change killed some 1,700 people in Pakistan, submerged a third of the country, and displaced millions of people.
Experts said the devastation, dubbed a “super flood”, is a wake-up call for other developing nations in South Asia and the rest of the world, while UN chief Antonio Guterres described the scale of such disasters as “the price of humanity’s fossil fuel addiction”.
02:28
K-pop fans weigh in as BTS member Jin begins military service
K-pop fans weigh in as BTS member Jin begins military service
BTS heads to military
K-pop phenomenon BTS in October announced all seven of its members would serve in the army, after South Korean politicians could not agree on whether to amend the mandatory military service law.
The boy band’s success had sparked debate over whether the young men should be exempt from military duty, as are athletes and classical musicians when they win prestigious international awards.
Oldest member Jin was the first to enlist, showing off a buzz cut days before he reported to a boot camp in Yeoncheon, 60km north of Seoul.
Singapore ends anti-gay law
Singapore voted to repeal Section 377A of the colonial-era penal code, decriminalising gay sex in a move welcomed by LGBTQ groups.
But MPs also agreed to amend the constitution to maintain the status-quo definition of marriage, which prevents legal challenges to the current definition of matrimony as being between a man and a woman.
Crowd disasters kill hundreds
October was a tragic month, with three major events shocking the region. In Indonesia, more than 130 people died when police in East Java fired tear gas in a football stadium after some fans ran onto the pitch, causing a crush as other spectators rushed for the exits.
South Korea was also in mourning following the deaths of 156 people, most of them young and female, after an estimated 100,000 revellers packed the narrow alleyways of Seoul’s Itaewon nightlife district to celebrate the first post-pandemic Halloween.
The collapse of a bridge in India killed at least 134 people, including many children, after hundreds of villagers gathered to celebrate a religious ritual in the western state of Gujarat.
China on Asia’s mind
China was on the region’s mind as leaders made foreign policy appointments and decisions. In Japan, the government revised its defence strategy to name China as a threat for the first time, while strengthening its military’s offensive capabilities.
Australia picked former prime minister and China expert Kevin Rudd to be its new ambassador to Washington, while the Philippines appointed Jaime FlorCruz, who was formerly part of the Cultural Revolution, to be its top envoy in Beijing.
Sri Lankan leader forced out
Citizens angered by soaring living costs, corruption and economic mismanagement stormed into then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s residence and forced him to quit.
He fled the island nation, where new President Ranil Wickremesinghe is negotiating with creditors for debt restructuring and a multibillion-dollar International Monetary Fund bailout.
A US$15 billion land feud
The heirs of a Philippine sultanate sought to seize Malaysian assets in a bid to enforce a US$15 billion arbitration award they won against their Southeast Asian nation neighbour.
In 1878 the last Sultan of Sulu entered a deal with a British company to exploit resources in territory under his control, including what is now the oil-rich state of Sabah.
Malaysia paid a token sum annually to the heirs until 2013, when it declared nobody else had a right to Sabah, prompting the claimants to seize two overseas units of state oil firm Petronas as part of efforts to enforce the award.
01:52
China to fully reopen borders and shelve mandatory quarantine from January 8
China to fully reopen borders and shelve mandatory quarantine from January 8
Asia prepares for China’s reopening
Asian economies are bracing for an influx of Chinese tourists as the world’s largest nation is set to reopen its borders after three years. In Singapore, the rush is on to hire tour guides, Thai property agents are prepping for a bonanza, and Malaysian traders have swapped Christmas decorations for red lanterns.
Michelle Yeoh’s Oscar buzz
Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh has been in showbiz for four decades, but her career continues to be on the up and up. Her performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once has attracted Oscar buzz, raising hopes she may be the first Asian woman to win an Academy Award for lead actress.
Produced by Eve Yeo, Helen Leavey, Jun-lei Tan, Peter Koveos, Sreejith Sreedharan
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