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☆ Thailand Navy Searches for 31 Sailors After Storm Sinks Warship
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Feliz Solomon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Thailand’s navy said it was searching for 31 sailors missing after one of its warships got caught in stormy weather and sank. The navy said that HTMS Sukhothai, a corvette carrying a crew of 106 sailors, sank at 11:30 p.m. on Sunday in the Gulf of Thailand. Strong winds and high waves caused the vessel to tilt and take on water, damaging its electrical system and leading to a power outage. The crew lost control of the vessel as more water rushed in, causing it to sink, the navy said.

☆ Indonesia Bans Sex Outside Marriage
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Feliz Solomon | Ismira Lutfia Tisnadibrata | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

JAKARTA, Indonesia—Lawmakers approved an overhaul of Indonesia’s criminal code that gives the state sweeping new powers to punish people for offenses such as blasphemy and sex outside of marriage, in the latest sign of a conservative shift in the world’s most populous Muslim nation. Parliament unanimously approved a bill on Tuesday that replaces parts of the country’s existing code, created under Dutch colonial rule in the early 1900s. The new rules, which apply to both Indonesisans and foreigners, also make it a crime to insult the country’s head of state and government institutions.

☆ Anwar Ibrahim Becomes Malaysia’s Prime Minister After Tumultuous Political Journey
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Feliz Solomon | Ying Xian Wong | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Longtime opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was sworn in as Malaysia’s prime minister, capping his decadeslong quest for the top job and ending a scramble by opposing political coalitions to shore up support after elections last week failed to produce a clear winner. Mr. Anwar’s rise to the premiership comes after a tumultuous career in which he was imprisoned twice, then came close to the role a few years ago after teaming up with his mentor-turned-nemesis. His government will now have to contend with a divided electorate, a fragile economic recovery and the rise of an ultraconservative Islamist movement that allied with his rivals during the election.

☆ Anwar Ibrahim Appointed Malaysia’s Prime Minister After Tumultuous Political Journey
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Feliz Solomon | Ying Xian Wong | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Longtime opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is due to be sworn in as Malaysia’s prime minister, capping his decadeslong quest for the top job and ending a scramble by opposing political coalitions to shore up support after elections last week failed to produce a clear winner. Mr. Anwar’s rise to the premiership comes after a tumultuous career in which he was imprisoned twice, then came close to the role a few years ago after teaming up with his mentor-turned-nemesis. His government will now have to contend with a divided electorate, a fragile economic recovery and the rise of an ultraconservative Islamist movement that allied with his rivals during the election.

☆ Kamala Harris Seeks to Strengthen Philippines Alliance Amid Fraught China Relations
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Feliz Solomon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

PUERTO PRINCESA, Philippines—Vice President Kamala Harris pledged deeper maritime cooperation with the Philippines and held discussions on the proposed expansion of a military pact between the two countries as Washington seeks to firm up its alliances in Asia. Ms. Harris’s three-day visit to the Southeast Asian country—which closely follows President Biden’s trip to the region for a string of summits—builds on U.S. efforts to step up diplomacy as it faces an assertive China. Washington and Beijing are at odds over a range of issues, from Taiwan and trade to China’s actions in the South China Sea that the U.S. says amount to bullying of smaller nations.

☆ Malaysia Goes to the Polls After Years of Political Instability
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Feliz Solomon | Ying Xian Wong | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Millions of voters are headed to the polls for national elections that were called early in an effort to end political instability that led to two leadership changes in as many years, with several shaky rival coalitions fighting to firm up their power. The polls are the first since a historic vote in 2018 when the party that had ruled the Southeast Asian country since its independence in 1957 was defeated following a multibillion-dollar corruption scandal. That outcome raised hopes for cleaner and more democratic governance, but optimism faded as political infighting hamstrung the government and the ousted coalition found its way back into power.

☆ Malaysia Headed for Hung Parliament After Saturday’s Election
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Feliz Solomon | Ying Xian Wong | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Malaysia is heading for a hung parliament with none of the three main coalitions of political parties on course to secure the majority needed to form a new government, bringing more uncertainty after national elections on Saturday that were meant to put an end to years of political instability. A coalition led by veteran politician Anwar Ibrahim was in the lead with results announced for most of the parliamentary races, but it won’t be able to clinch a majority in the 222-seat lower house. Multiple opposing political camps will now have to negotiate and work together toward building a new governing coalition.

☆ Former U.K. Ambassador Among Thousands to Be Freed From Myanmar Prison
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Feliz Solomon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Vicky Bowman was arrested along with her husband in August on allegations that she violated immigration law. SINGAPORE—Myanmar’s military junta said it will free thousands of prisoners in a mass amnesty, including several foreign nationals whose governments had lobbied for their release. Junta spokesman Zaw Min Tun said on Thursday that the amnesty showed “respect for humanitarian and diplomatic relations” on the country’s National Victory Day, a holiday celebrating its independence from British colonial rule. Among those freed were former British Ambassador Vicky Bowman, Australian economist Sean Turnell , U.S. citizen Kyaw Htay Oo and Japanese filmmaker Toru Kubota, he said.

☆ Engine-Controls Malfunction, Delayed Pilot Response Led to 2021 Indonesia Air Crash
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Feliz Solomon | Ismira Lutfia Tisnadibrata | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

A member of the National Indonesia Safety Transportation Committee explained Thursday the causes of the Sriwijaya Air plane crash. Indonesian investigators said a mechanical failure linked to automated engine controls and a delayed pilot response led to the crash of a passenger jet in the country last year that killed all 62 people on board. The Boeing Co. 737 jet operated by Sriwijaya Air plunged into the Java Sea minutes after takeoff on Jan. 9, 2021. Investigators had said after last year’s preliminary assessment that the aircraft’s auto-throttle system, which is designed to adjust fuel flow and thrust, failed to function properly. After climbing to nearly 11,000 feet, the aircraft went from a normal nose-up position to a dangerously unstable, nose-down one.

☆ Aung San Suu Kyi’s Life in Myanmar Prison: No Visitors, Calls or News
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Feliz Solomon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

For 21 months, Aung San Suu Kyi, one of the world’s most well-known and polarizing pro-democracy figures, has been locked away by an authoritarian junta in Myanmar. No one can visit her. She can’t receive phone calls, letters or anything printed on paper, according to a person with knowledge of her situation. Increasingly, it looks like Ms. Suu Kyi is serving a life sentence.

☆ Myanmar Joins North Korea and Iran on Global Illicit Finance Blacklist
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Feliz Solomon | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

SINGAPORE—A global financial watchdog added Myanmar to its list of countries where businesses and financial institutions are at high risk of exposure to money laundering and terrorist financing, potentially accelerating the country’s economic isolation that was triggered by a military coup last year. The Financial Action Task Force, a Paris-based intergovernmental body whose 39 members include almost all of the world’s major financial centers including the U.S., China and a number of European nations, said on Friday that Myanmar failed to address a large number of deficiencies in its anti-money-laundering and terrorist financing systems. As a result, it said the Southeast Asian country was added to what is informally known as the FATF blacklist.

Japan is preparing to lift Covid-19 entry restrictions on individual international travelers visiting outside of an authorized tour group. Japan is getting ready to join other top Asia-Pacific destinations in fully reopening to tourism. But the region’s beaches, shopping meccas and cultural sites are finding the return to pre-Covid prosperity is slower than in the U.S. and Europe, in part because would-be Chinese tourists are still largely stuck at home. Government officials in Tokyo said Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was preparing soon to lift entry restrictions and put Japan on par with the U.S. and European nations that generally allow short-term tourists to visit freely without Covid-19 tests. Currently, Japan bars individual tourists.

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