Asia - South China Morning Post

A Malaysian police chief has called for the wider imposition of caning in schools, arguing that the “fear factor” among students has eroded at a time when violent incidents, including bullying-related deaths, are drawing alarm in the country.

Selangor state police chief Shazeli Kahar said caning should be considered in a phased and “controlled” manner to prevent teacher abuse, and was needed to address what he described as a worrying rise in student-related crime across the state.

His remarks...

A Thai mother bitten by a deadly snake endured a desperate 32-hour wait for rescue after being trapped by floods that have devastated southern Thailand for more than a week.

The woman, stranded in her submerged Hat Yai home, turned to social media at 3am on Wednesday after 24 hours of excruciating pain. She and her boyfriend had spent the previous day calling at least 10 rescue agencies, but floodwaters kept emergency crews from reaching them, according to the Thai Examiner news site.

Her plea...

Indonesia’s plan to build a new capital in East Kalimantan is facing renewed scrutiny after the Constitutional Court struck down a regulation granting investors land rights of up to 190 years – a decision welcomed by indigenous groups but seen by developers as a potential deterrent to investment.

The ruling highlights the mounting challenges confronting Nusantara, a 466 trillion rupiah (US$28 billion) development conceived by former president Joko Widodo as a smart, green city to replace the...

Senator Imee Marcos, the estranged sister of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, said there is a void in the nation’s leadership as politicians grapple with a growing corruption scandal and instead is backing his deputy as a potential replacement.

“There is a vacuum at the top,” Imee Marcos said during an interview in her Manila office on Thursday. “And that’s a problem because all sorts of sinister and malignant forces have jumped in to fill that void.”

Tensions between the siblings...

A court ruling on the case of former South Korean prime minister Han Duck-soo in January next year will serve as a bellwether for others charged over impeached former president Yoon Suk-yeol’s failed martial law decree, observers say.

On Wednesday, the special counsel team investigating insurrection charges related to Yoon’s December 3 decree demanded a 15-year prison term for Han, the 77-year-old political veteran accused of helping “mastermind” the attempted self-coup.

Senior Judge Lee...

A customer at a Daiso store in Suncheon, South Jeolla province, is facing public criticism after a video showed a staff member kneeling and apologising during a confrontation over a child running inside the store in South Korea.

The incident took place last Friday but spread widely on online communities and social media on Thursday after witnesses posted video clips and accounts of what happened.

A witness said the employee had warned a child who was running near the store entrance, telling the...

The swift spread of a tiny invasive insect that gorges on paper threatens to ravage Japan’s priceless cultural treasures, historic records and delicate scrolls, as calls grow for stronger measures to rein in the scourge.

The 1cm-long (0.3 inch) ghost silverfish, first identified in Sri Lanka in 1910, was discovered in Japan in 2022. The critter has since crawled into institutions in 19 prefectures after reportedly arriving in the East Asian nation in a consignment of documents, art or other...

Mounting corruption scandals and an impeachment push have prompted calls for the Philippine president and vice-president to resign, with legal experts saying a little-known constitutional clause provides for a snap election to be called if the roles are vacated at the same time.

A growing chorus from civil society groups and politicians is urging President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio to step down, with Marcos accused by a political veteran of playing a leading...

The Myanmar junta’s highly publicised crackdown on cyberfraud hubs near its borders is less a law enforcement statement than a calculated performance, analysts say, aimed at placating China and shoring up credibility ahead of an election widely seen as illegitimate.

Observers said the operation reflected the military’s need to project control in the face of domestic insurgency and foreign pressure, particularly from Beijing, whose citizens have been both victims and conscripts in the sprawling...

Asia’s oil-dependent economies could soon find further relief as a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv edges closer, raising the prospects of Russia resuming crude supply to global markets and again reshaping supply dynamics that have significantly influenced prices since the war in Ukraine broke out in 2022.

Analysts told This Week in Asia that the potential accord had already led to lower oil prices amid heightened expectations that sanctions against Moscow might soon be lifted, potentially...