Stefano Vecchia

The Thai capital is on high alert due to two tropical storms coming in from Vietnam. The opening of locks on several dams is likely to aggravate the situation. Inhabitants are reminded of the 2011 flood in which a thousand people died.

The Parliament of Singapore passes a bill that monitors Singaporean citizens and bodies that have relations with foreign organisations. For the opposition, too much discretionary power is left with the Home Affairs minister, putting freedom of expression at risk.

Zero CO2 emissions by 2050 is the goal of the new five-year development plan presented by the government, much earlier than the other countries in the region. To get there, Malaysia will stop opening new coal-fired power plants and adapt factories and urban energy management.

As complaints rise, crisis centres are overwhelmed. Because anti-COVID-19 measures discourage overnight stay at shelters, victims are often forced to return to abusive homes.

Malaysia’s new Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and his government plan to appeal last week’s High Court ruling overturning a discriminatory law that grants citizenship to children of mixed couples only if the father is Malaysian. For civil society groups, the government’s appeal is a “betrayal of rights”.

Seventy per cent of Thais wear them, fuelling a trade worth more than a billion euros. And in the age of Covid-19, their online sale is also growing.

Thailand plans to arrest “illegals” who oppose Myanmar’s military junta. Myanmar refugees will be accepted only if the international community foots the bill. Hitherto, exiled Myanmar groups and media relied on Thailand, but now Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha and Myanmar’s strongman General Min Aung Hlain are cozying up.

Concern is growing over the coronavirus as the number of cases has doubled every week since early August. The government taskforce calls for more testing and strict quarantine, while focusing above all on raising awareness and boosting self-discipline in the population.

The Prime Minister has defended himself in parliament against criticism for the worst economic crisis since 1997, pointing to the tourism blockade caused by the pandemic as the sole cause. Rumours of a possible agreement between the opposition and members of the ruling Palang Pracharath party to remove support from the former general and several ministers of his cabinet.

The Bloomberg monthly report puts Malaysia last among 53 countries with a high or medium level of development. With over 1.7 million reported cases and 16,382 deaths, Malaysia’s pandemic figures are comparable to Japan’s despite having a population four times smaller.

Selangor State wants to separate religion from politics. In recent years, Malaysia has seen a push towards polarisation and radicalisation, partly by governments focusing on policies that stress the Malay, thus Islamic identity.

It is now possible to produce, sell and consume kratom leaves, but not the concentrates. The opiate has been traditionally used in rural areas. The decision comes after a bitter debate in a country where drug use is severely punished. The COVID-19-related crisis in agriculture also affected the decision.