Malaysia

| MALAYSIA – UNITED STATES – ASEAN

The Basel Action Network raises the issue in a report released just days before US President Trump takes part in the ASEAN summit. Experts believe Malaysia is the new dumping “mecca" for tonnes of e-waste, a business worth over a billion dollars, but with explosive environmental consequences.

by Joseph Masilamany

The Kelantan State police chief has suggested amending the law so that minors who "consent" to sex are also prosecuted along with their adult partners. Malaysia’s federal government and NGOs have reacted harshly to the proposal, which would criminalise victims and reinforce the culture of blaming women. Instead, some groups want the law to protect consensual relationships between peers.

| 27/09/2025
| MALAYSIA
by Joseph Masilamany

Datchinamurthy Kataiah, 39, will be hanged tomorrow in Changi Prison fourteen years after his arrest. His sister's appeal against a sentence that is ‘too severe and extreme for a naive act committed by a young man’. The appeal of 33 local NGOs for a moratorium after the Wong government promoted a case for commutation of the sentence for the first time. Currently, 40 people are on death row.

| 24/09/2025
| SINGAPORE - MALAYSIA
by Joseph Masilamany

The son of a Protestant pastor, the young man has been on death row for years following a drug trafficking conviction. A group of Malaysian MPs from the prime minister's party are calling for urgent intervention by their country’s Home Affairs minister. Singaporean courts have rejected the clemency request as well as the latest request for a stay of execution.

| 18/09/2025
| MALAYSIA – SINGAPORE
by Joseph Masilamany

State authorities have ordered an investigation into a viral video featuring allegedly supernatural elements during a traditional dance performance in Batu Pahat. Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi reiterated the ban on superstition and rituals contrary to Islamic law, calling on religious authorities and local communities to ensure the purity of the Muslim faith.

| 09/09/2025
| MALAYSIA
by Joseph Masilamany

Yesterday marked the 68th anniversary of Merdeka, Independence Day, a time to assert a patriotic spirit that contrasts with a reality marked by discontent. Protests against the prime minister are mounting over the rising cost of living, declining opportunities, and lack of reform. Without quick results, people will “keep going to the streets,” expert tells AsiaNews.

| 01/09/2025
| MALAYSIA
by Joseph Masilamany

The Malaysian state applies discretionary punishments (takzir), while critics and human rights groups warn of growing religious conservatism. A recently enacted law imposes sentences of two years or fines of up to US$ 700. For Terengganu official, Friday prayers are an “expression of obedience among Muslims”.

| 22/08/2025
| MALAYSIA
Editor's choices
 
by Lisa Bongiovanni
A new report by the Asia Centre highlights how fake news and phoney arguments have turned Thai public opinion against Indigenous groups (most of whom are not officially recognised by the Thai government), leading to the belief that their traditional ...
| 21/10/2025
| THAILAND
 
by Card Dominique Joseph Mathieu*
Work has been completed on the Maryam-e Moghaddas metro station, located near the Armenian Church of Saint Sarkis. In addition to ornamental elements evoking Christian symbolism and connecting it to Muslim tradition, there will also be a 2.5-metre statue ...
| 20/10/2025
| IRAN
 
After scaling NEOM and other infrastructure, Saudi authorities plan to develop Islam's holy city. The King Salman Gate project was unveiled this week, covering 12 million square metres and provide 300,000 jobs over 10 years. Commercial, cultural, ...
| 17/10/2025
| SAUDI ARABIA
 
by A Voice from Shanghai
A local Catholic offers their thoughts about yesterday's ordination of Auxiliary Bishop Wu Jianlin. The unresolved situation of Bishop Ma Daqin, who is still barred from exercising his ministry, is a source of sorrow that encourages “those ...
| 16/10/2025
| CHINA - VATICAN
 
by Mathias Hariyadi
Indonesian authorities have declared a state of emergency in Cikande after unprecedented levels of Cesium-137 were detected at the Modern Cikande Industrial Estate. Nine workers were exposed to the radioactive isotope, while scores have families have ...
| 15/10/2025
| INDONESIA
 
by Andrew Law
The diocese has sent official notice for Fr Wu Jianlin’s ordination ceremony, calling on all priests and nuns to be present without exception. Ordinary Bishop Shen Bin reportedly supported the choice, stressing that Wu is a member of the Party ...
| 10/10/2025
| CHINA – VATICAN
 
by Gershon Baskin
AsiaNews publishes the thoughts on the Gaza peace deal (in its first phase) by the political activist and mediator. A key player in the release of Israeli soldier Shalit, he has worked behind the scenes in recent months to achieve a ceasefire. Against ...
| 09/10/2025
| ISRAEL – PALESTINE – EGYPT
 
Zaw Zaw, a powerful businessman who heads the Myanmar Football Federation, was appointed to chair FIFA's Social Responsibility Committee. Sanctioned in the past by the United States for his ties to the military, the oligarch has over the years built ...
| 09/10/2025
| MYANMAR
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”