Asia - South China Morning Post

Bali’s elephant-riding attractions have begun shutting down after Indonesia’s forestry authorities ordered conservation centres to end the practice, as local officials threaten to revoke the relevant permits for non-compliance.

The directive calls for the centres to stop elephant-riding “performances” and shift towards wildlife tourism that is more educational and ethical, according to a circular by the Ministry of Forestry’s Directorate General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation...

Six men who had been sent back to Indonesia after immigration breaches tried to re-enter Singapore illegally on a sampan, but were caught when it sank.

On Monday, they were sentenced to jail terms of one year to one year and nine months, and between four and 10 strokes of the cane.

The group was led by 23-year-old Asrarudin, who steered the boat despite having no experience.

He was joined by 28-year-old Brick, a repeat offender who received the heaviest sentence of nearly two years.

Four other...

A Malaysian minister has clarified rules surrounding eligibility to receive cash aid from the government amid reports applications were “cancelled” for locals who frequently travel to neighbouring Singapore.

Deputy Finance Minister Liew Chin Tong said to ensure fair distribution of funds under the Sumbangan Tunai Rahmah scheme aimed at easing cost of living pressures for select Malaysian citizens living in the country, beneficiaries’ residency status would be ascertained using data from the...

US President Donald Trump’s announcement that he will reinstate 25 per cent tariffs on South Korea is less indicative of a sudden rupture in relations but more an attempt to reassert leverage over an ally ahead of a critical US Supreme Court ruling, analysts say.

Trump has accused South Korea of failing to follow through on a bilateral trade deal, reviving trade tensions between two close allies and prompting Seoul to seek urgent talks with Washington.

The timing also reflected Trump’s mounting...

The Sabah-Kalimantan border issue on the island of Borneo is still under discussion, Malaysia has said, following media reports of a land trade with Indonesia.

“Negotiations are still ongoing. The areas on the map and on the ground are different. Discussions are carried out according to the law, but no decision has been made yet,” Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said on Monday, as quoted by Bernama news agency.

“We will instruct our technical committee and surveyors to carry out the...

Seven foreign-born players for Malaysia’s national football team have been cleared to keep competing after the Court of Arbitration for Sport temporarily halted Fifa-imposed bans while their appeal is reviewed, Malaysia’s football federation said on Tuesday.

Last September, Fifa fined the Football Association of Malaysia 350,000 Swiss francs (US$450,000) for fake documents filed to naturalise the seven players, who were also fined and suspended for a year.

The players stemmed from Argentina,...

When Hong Kong-based EcoCeres opened Malaysia’s first commercial-scale sustainable aviation fuel plant in Johor on Monday, officials pitched it as a new export segment positioned for strong growth, backed by the country’s ports, processing capacity and palm-adjacent supply chains.

The problem is that the largest buyers are still not in Asia, EcoCeres says.

“The major part of the demand is in Europe,” EcoCeres CEO Matti Lievonen told reporters at a press conference, adding that “absolutely much...

A “threat assessment” of Thailand amid deadly land border clashes has finally convinced Cambodia to ratify a major UN maritime treaty, according to analysts.

Speculation that the Thai navy might close off supply lanes in the Gulf of Thailand also weighed heavily in Phnom Penh’s decision, they said.

Phnom Penh ratified the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) on January 16, more than four decades after signing the treaty. It is the last Asean member to do so.

Passed during the fifth...

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.

1. Malaysian badminton player threatened with knife attack online over performance

2. K-drama star Cha Eun-woo’s ad campaigns pulled amid tax scrutiny in South Korea

3. Malaysia’s expat salary rules dubbed ‘ridiculous’, stoking talent drain fears

4. Groomed at 15:...

It all began with a phone call out of the blue to a doctor running a cosmetic surgery clinic in Tokyo’s swanky Ginza district in the winter of 2014.

“Do you remember me? I’d love to get together after all these years,” the man on the line told the doctor who had been his childhood friend in grade school.

They had not seen or spoken to each other since they sang together in their local choir some 40 years earlier. Feeling a tug of nostalgia, the doctor agreed to meet.

Ten years after their...