Stefano Vecchia

Thailand is facing an increasingly ageing population. Unlike other Asian countries, it is ill-equipped to cope with it. Thai authorities must rethink urban welfare policies.

The changes already approved by the government and soon to be considered by Parliament concern Article 19 of the Constitutional Charter. The Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights have opposed the proposal. The premier's will is to make it to the 2023 elections without any opposition.

After the pandemic, the city-state began to execute people again showing no clemency. A 64-year-old man convicted in 2017 of possession of 33 grams of heroin was the latest offender put to death. Dismissing any criticism, the government claims that the death penalty is a deterrent to drug trafficking.

Timor Leste has had observer status for years. Yesterday's visit by President José Ramos-Horta to Indonesia could see the small nation join the Association next year. Significantly, the meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo was held in the Indonesian capital.

The investigation points the finger at pro-Russian militias, but the case is not yet over. The plane was en route from the Netherlands to Malaysia. None of the 298 people on board survived.

Indonesia’s decision to stop its workers from going to Malaysia because of the latter’s failure to respect a bilateral labour agreement could negatively impact Malaysia’s palm oil production. The Thai Chamber of Commerce estimates that the country needs at least 500,000 foreign workers for its post-COVID recovery.

The economic impact of the pandemic has boosted this criminal racket, increasing the risk of human trafficking. Poor policing and weak government supervision have facilitated this trade with only a handful of cases prosecuted last year.

A “talak” on social media involving two social media personalities, later reversed, has sparked a debate over the trivialisation of Islam in a country where two-thirds of the population are Muslims. Last Wednesday, local authorities reactivated a committee to empower Sharia courts. Islamic law (Sharia) is partially enforced in three states of the Malaysian federation. The situation is raising fears among religious minorities.

Delegates from 60 countries are converging on the Thai capital for an event that will jumpstart local congress tourism. Prime Minister Prayut stressed the important role Thai women now play. About 40 per cent of the country’s chief executive officers are in fact women. However, behind the figures, domestic violence and sexual exploitation highlight contradictions that linger.

President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. plans to confirm Duterte's executive order to include nuclear power in the country's energy mix. The first step could be repurposing a plant already built under Marcos Sr by US company Westinghouse in the early eighties not far from the capital, but which was never fuelled. In Southeast Asia, the Philippines’ energy costs are second only to Singapore’s.

In 2019, Malaysia had some two million foreign workers, mainly from Indonesia, Bangladesh and Nepal. Now labour shortages are threatening the palm oil, semiconductors and the fisheries sectors. Red tape and costs associated with immigration are among the main obstacles to recruitment.

The factor of communications has entered the debate on the resilience of the country's most widespread faith. Different influences are undermining adherence to the roots of religious practice. Fewer and fewer monks know Pali, the cultured language of antiquity. The contrast between an elitist language and the simplicity of the Buddha's message.