Bhavan Jaipragas
AsiaOne
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Past articles by Bhavan:
Hope for Anwar Ibrahim as Malaysian king remains firm on unity plan, Malaysia News
Weariness began to set in among Malaysians on Wednesday (Nov 23) as the country's post-election political impasse lingered, though there were positive signs for those backing reformist opposition Anwar Ibrahim as the next prime minister. King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah's convening of a special meeting with the nation's other hereditary sultans suggested a resolution was in sight and he... → Read More
Hong Kong's bid to join RCEP will tie its economic future to Singapore, rest of Asean, China News
Southeast Asia is Hong Kong’s most potent economic hinterland outside the Chinese mainland, and there is no reason for countries in the region to view the city as a “zero-sum competitor”. That was the underlying message from top officials and commentators who participated in the inaugural Hong Kong-Asean Summit 2022 organised by the Post. Yu Hongjun, a former deputy minister... → Read More
China must avoid 'long, dark tunnel' of nuclear rhetoric: Singapore's George Yeo, China News
Russia and the West are walking into a "long, dark tunnel" with their rising rhetoric about a nuclear confrontation, and China should exercise wisdom and statecraft to avoid going down the same path, Singapore's former foreign minister George Yeo has said. Characterising the conflict in Ukraine - following Russia's February invasion of its smaller neighbour - as a "proxy war",... → Read More
Were Mahathir’s remarks about ‘reclaiming’ Singapore aimed at Johor’s sultan?, Malaysia News
Malaysia's elder statesman Mahathir Mohamad has clarified his recent remarks about lost Malay ancestral land, after reports suggested he hoped Kuala Lumpur would reclaim Singapore and Indonesia's Riau islands. Speaking in an event on June 19, the 96-year-old referenced how areas once deemed part of the so-called Malay lands, or "Tanah Melayu", had been ceded in the past. In particular,... → Read More
PM Lee says Asian countries should avoid forming Nato equivalent, Asia News
Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said it is in Asia's interest to avoid forming a security bloc like Europe's Nato, noting the region's history and circumstances make such a military alliance unnecessary. Lee's remarks in an interview with Nikkei Asia published on Monday (May 23) come amid calls from US President Joe Biden for Washington's partners in the... → Read More
Nicky Liow, Malaysian fugitive linked to crime boss 'Broken Tooth', surrenders, Malaysia News
Malaysian police said on Monday (April 11) they had arrested fugitive businessman Nicky Liow Soon Hee, known for his links to an organisation founded by ex-Macau crime boss Wan Kuok Koi, also known as Broken Tooth. The 34-year-old gave himself up at the national police headquarters in Kuala Lumpur on Monday morning, the Royal Malaysian Police Force said in a... → Read More
Strained US-China ties threatened by Ukraine war views: Balakrishnan, Asia News
Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on Wednesday (March 23) said contrasting views between China and the United States on Russia's Ukraine war was threatening to "inadvertently complicate" already fraught ties between the superpowers. "Their different approach to the war in Ukraine is the latest complication," Vivian said in a keynote address at the South China Morning Post's China… → Read More
Ukraine invasion: Malaysia says evacuation of diplomatic staff went according to plan, Malaysia News
Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said the evacuation of its diplomatic staff in the under-siege Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Saturday (Feb 26) was part of a detailed plan previously endorsed by the country’s top leaders, and refuted claims that the effort was bungled. The South China Morning Post had reported based on multiple government sources that a group... → Read More
Ukraine invasion: Singapore's condemnation aside, rest of Asean's ambivalence is 'shocking', Asia News
In Southeast Asia, where the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov once lamented economic ties ran only "skin deep", the immediate diplomatic response to Moscow's Ukraine war has been one of deep ambivalence. Diplomatic observers say despite Russia's shallow trade and investment exposure in the region, governments are exercising caution in condemning the aggression as they mull the long-term… → Read More
'We cannot just watch the military kill': Myanmar's civilian government seeks China's help, Asia News
China’s current lukewarm approach towards Myanmar’s junta is encouraging but Beijing and other major regional players must urgently step up their pressure on the generals to prevent a prolonged armed conflict, the coup-ravaged country’s parallel civilian government has said. In a wide-ranging interview with the Post, the National Unity Government’s (NUG) Foreign Minister Zin Mar Aung said the… → Read More
2021 in Asia: China vaccines, a Philippine F-bomb, celebrity scandals and more, Asia News
As much of the Asia-Pacific spent 2021 in degrees of lockdown, people quit their jobs for their well-being, climate policies made headlines, a K-drama idol was cancelled (and then un-cancelled), and a politician apologised for cursing at China. Here’s a look at some of the year’s most memorable stories. Historical differences between South Korea and China came to the fore... → Read More
Malaysian ex-PM Najib's 12-year jail sentence upheld in 1MDB-linked case, says appeal court, Malaysia News
Malaysia’s second highest court has upheld a 12-year jail sentence previously handed to former prime minister Najib Razak in the first of several criminal cases linking him to the 1MDB financial scandal. The three-judge Court of Appeal ruled that the High Court’s decision to convict Najib of all seven counts in the trial last July was correct, and upheld the... → Read More
Lee Hsien Loong warns of US-China 'mishap' over Taiwan, Singapore News
Heightened tensions in the Taiwan Strait are unlikely to lead to "war overnight" but are in a state where a "mishap or miscalculation" could occur, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong warned on Wednesday (Nov 17). Lee's remarks at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum come amid renewed focus on the Taiwan issue, which headlined Monday's virtual meeting between the Chinese... → Read More
Malaysia summons Chinese envoy for second time since June, over vessels in South China Sea, Malaysia News
For the second time this year, Malaysia has summoned the Chinese envoy in the country to protest Beijing’s activities in the disputed South China Sea, where the Southeast Asian nation has considerable oil and gas fields. In a four-paragraph statement released late on Monday, the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Chinese ambassador Ouyang Yujing was summoned “to convey... → Read More
Why the monarchy is the big winner from Malaysia's political crisis, Malaysia News
A semblance of political normalcy returned to Malaysia last week after a period of relentless elite feuding appeared to subside, having ushered in the country's third prime minister in the space of 18 months. As his first order of business after taking office on Aug 21, Ismail Sabri Yaakob urged his still seething rivals to put the "Malaysian family" first... → Read More
Malaysia's king says next PM must face immediate confidence vote, Malaysia News
Malaysia's king on Wednesday (Aug 18) said the country's soon-to-be-appointed new prime minister must immediately test his support in parliament, a move that could prolong the political crisis that led to Muhyiddin Yassin's resignation this week. The royal statement from the office of Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah came hours before a 4pm deadline for the country's 220 MPs to... → Read More
As Myanmar battles Covid-19 surge, calls arise for urgent aid that is not co-opted by junta, Asia News
The international community, in particular the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), should move quickly to secure humanitarian access to Myanmar to deal with its Covid-19 upsurge, panellists in a webinar organised by the Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights Group (APHR) said on Thursday (July 22). But in undertaking this outreach, governments should insist that independent aid… → Read More
Malaysia's road map for reopening to include opposition input, finance minister says, Malaysia News
Malaysia ’s government, already under fire for its handling of the Covid-19 crisis, will cooperate more closely with the opposition as it implements a new road map for a progressive reopening of the economy, Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz said in an exclusive interview. Tengku Zafrul last week held rare talks with leading opposition figures such as ex-prime minister... → Read More
What do latest political twists in Malaysia mean for PM Muhyiddin Yassin?, Malaysia News
Eighteen months on since the start of the pandemic, Malaysia ’s Covid-19 statistics paint a grim picture. The daily new caseload on Thursday (July 8), for instance, stood at 8,868 – the second-highest tally on record. Over 800,000 people have been infected, making the country the third worst-hit in Southeast Asia after Indonesia and the Philippines. A crippling third national... → Read More
Azmin Ali, Malaysia's power grab architect, under fire for 'half-baked' coronavirus lockdown, Malaysia News
Tens of thousands of people on Thursday signed an online petition calling for the resignation of Malaysia's International Trade and Industry Minister Azmin Ali as anger brewed over the large number of businesses granted permission to operate during an ongoing Covid-19 "total lockdown". Critics said the waivers, some of which were handed to non-essential businesses, would severely compromise the… → Read More