Stefano Vecchia

Tawan and Bam were arrested for protesting on social media against motorcades with members of the royal family running red lights. After refusing food in the past 20 days, they were hospitalised. Meanwhile, the country is getting ready for the 7 May elections. Surveys suggest that opposition parties are gaining ground on pro-military parties.

The Philippine vice president, who is also secretary of education, presented a report that shows that 81 per cent of students “cannot deal with math problems” and have “trouble understanding texts of moderate lengths.” She launched a plan to boost support for teachers.

The island’s various ethnic groups often use English as a lingua franca, but not everyone masters it. Low levels of education and literacy (70 per cent) hinder the integration process. For this reason, some groups want local politicians not to speak English so as to allow for greater participation by women and Muslims.

A Taiwanese actress is involved in the latest incident after she was asked to pay a 27,000 baht bribe. Illegal activities by police have been known for some time but change still seems illusory, despite hopes raised by the 2014 coup. The police are now used against anti-government protesters.

Google and Spotify plan to cut jobs in Singapore, while Meta and Twitter have already done so. There are fears that middle and top-level jobs might be axed next in the city-state, home to several major companies. Still, “Technology will continue to undergird the growth of our economies,” says minister.

The suicide of a 15-year-old girl in a village in the province of Chachoengsao has kindled debate in the country on a phenomenon that, according to surveys, affects as many as 600 thousand students. An education system that is still too conniving with practices of arbitrary submission or abuse is under indictment.

Several Malaysian states have legislated against mixing politics and religion. According to the Johor Religious Affairs Department, mosques have become venues for political debates and some political parties are using religious initiatives to promote their views.

Elections are scheduled for July, but the prime minister recently explained how he handles dissent, proving once more that the country is not on the path towards democracy. In the past year, Cambodia held ASEAN’s rotating presidency, raising concern in the international community, but little will change with Indonesia now taking over.

The sentence for assault - not murder - against Prema Naraynasamy came six years after the death of 24-year-old maid Piang Ngaih Don. Due to the physical and psychological abuse, the girl, originally from Myanamar, weighed 24 kilos. But in the city-state it is widely believed that some nationalities are more prone to submission.

The general turned prime minister had to change party in order to run in the next election in May. In announcing his candidacy, he said his goal was to "protect" Thailand out of a sense of “duty". The opposition has challenged him as well as the results of the previous election.

Passed by Congress, the Magna Carta of Religious Freedom Act is an important step in a country where relations among various religions have not always been peaceful. The country’s Catholic bishops react positively to the legislation, calling it a “necessity” in a democratic society.

Hanoi has claimed 220 hectares of land in the past few years, 170 in 2022 alone, far less than what China has done, which Southeast Asian countries are trying to oppose.