Asia - South China Morning Post

Nepal’s Lumbini has long anchored the Buddhist pilgrimage map as the Buddha’s birthplace. Nearby, however, stand the fortified ruins of Tilaurakot – believed to be the ancient capital where Siddhartha Gautam spent his princely years – a site of profound historical weight that draws only a fraction of the visitors.

A newly unearthed temple could change that, archaeologists say, offering fresh evidence that Tilaurakot once held far greater religious significance to Buddhists than its quiet present...

US President Donald Trump told Vietnam’s top leader To Lam he would “instruct the relevant agencies” to remove the country from a list restricted from accessing advanced US technologies, Vietnam’s government announced on Saturday.

The two leaders met in person for the first time at the White House on Friday, after Lam attended the inaugural meeting of Trump’s “Board of Peace” in Washington.

“Donald Trump said he would instruct the relevant agencies to soon remove Vietnam from the strategic...

Two weeks after an election that was called to cut through Thailand’s political stalemate, much is still in doubt.

The threat of annulment hangs over the entire vote, while the final shape of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s governing coalition is still being formed.

The February 8 poll, called by Anutin’s caretaker government to seek a fresh mandate, aimed to halt the revolving door at Government House that saw three prime ministers come and go in just two years.

In that time, an economy...

A wave of online backlash against South Korea is spreading across Southeast Asia, fuelled by a dispute over fan behaviour at a K-pop concert and intensified by controversial comments from public officials, highlighting how quickly digital tensions can take on a regional dimension.

Posts accusing Koreans of discrimination have circulated widely on social media in recent days, with users from Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand sharing calls to boycott Korean products and culture. A hashtag invoking...

North Korea’s ruling party congress, convened only once every five years, opened in Pyongyang this weekend with supreme leader Kim Jong-un poised to formalise a military doctrine with far-reaching implications for security on the Korean peninsula and beyond.

State media described the opening of the ninth congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea as unfolding “with splendour” in “the capital city of the revolution”, with 5,000 delegates and 2,000 observers in attendance.

The carefully choreographed...

Quentin Griffiths, who co-founded British fast-fashion retailer Asos, has died after a fall from a balcony in Thailand, Thai police said on Friday.

Police said that Griffiths, 58, had fallen from the 17th floor of a flat block in the seaside resort city of Pattaya on February 9.

The police went to the scene and found the body of a British national, whom they identified as Quentin John Griffiths, on the ground directly below the balcony, they said.

Police said initial investigations suggested...

Mary Ann Pajo watched quietly as cemetery workers opened her son’s tomb in Manila this week and removed his body for examination by a forensic pathologist.

Accused of dealing drugs, 30-year-old Joewarski Pajo was shot dead while playing a game on his phone, one of thousands of extrajudicial killings alleged to have taken place under former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte.

A hearing begins at the International Criminal Court on Monday that will determine whether Duterte will stand trial over...

The biggest challenges that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has to tackle following its recent victory in the general election are the country’s sluggish economy, high inflation and unemployment.

Speaking at a webinar, panellists said voters would judge the new government on its ability to create jobs, tame inflation and steady relations with key partners, even as they commended the peaceful election.

Zafar Sobhan, editor of Counterpoint, said: “Let us not forget this was a key driver in...

The UN human rights agency on Friday called on governments to clamp down on scam centres, which have mushroomed in Southeast Asia and where hundreds of thousands of people have been trafficked into forced labour.

The agency released a report documenting torture, sexual abuse, forced abortions, food deprivation, solitary confinement and other abuses.

“The litany of abuse is staggering and at the same time heartbreaking,” UN Human Rights high commissioner Volker Turk said, calling on governments...

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to lift living standards as he opened a landmark congress, state media said on Friday, offering a glimpse of economic strains within the sanctions-hit nation.

The supreme leader took centre stage with a speech to start the Workers’ Party congress, a gathering that directs state efforts on everything from house building to war planning.

Held just once every five years, the days-long congress offers a rare glimpse into the workings of a nation where even...