South East Asia

The 85-year-old entrepreneur had transformed the Djarum cigarette factory he inherited from his father into an economic giant with operations in various sectors, including the country’s leading private bank. A Catholic, he was known for his extremely simple lifestyle. Through his foundation, he always showed great commitment to humanitarian causes.

The Cambodian part of the process for the beatification of Bishop Joseph Chhmar Salas and 11 other victims of the Khmer Rouge genocide ended today. Since 2015, dozens of testimonies have been collected from people who witnessed their faithfulness to the Gospel during a time of horror. Among the candidates are two nuns and four lay people. If recognised by the Vatican, they will be the first blessed of this small Church reborn in the 1990s.

FABC, CELAM, and SECAM, the three continental episcopal conferences, released a paper that is also a shared commitment, calling on world governments to adopt a non-proliferation fossil fuel treaty. For Caritas International, the role of women is crucial in addressing climate change.

Residents set up an imposing structure with 1,400 oil lamps for the 27th night of the fast. Part of the preparations for Eid al-Fitr, the initiative engages the community in a collective effort. Well known in Malaysia and across Southeast Asia, the tradition was revived more than ten years ago.

The price of a coconut in Thailand, which was 20 baht before 2020, has now dropped to as low as 2 baht, putting small farmers out of business. According to local producers, a few companies with Chinese capital now control much of the supply chain, imposing extremely low prices and distorting the market.

They arrived in Burma in 1865, maintaining a constant presence in the service of vulnerable people. Active in nine communities, they provide education, healthcare and support to women who are victims of violence, trafficking and poverty, in a country marked by political instability and war. Cardinal Charles Maung Bo: “A testimony of love that knows no bounds”.

This Sunday, 73.5 million voters will be called to pick 500 representatives out of 864 candidates rigorously selected by the Communist Party of Vietnam. The vote is another key step after the Congress to consolidate Tô Lâm's leadership.

In a news release, the NGO denounces the conditions of the Muslim refugees from Myanmar’s Rakhine State. More than 5,000 are held in migrant detention centres. Since Malaysia never ratified the refugee convention, it does not formally recognise their status.

A new report looks at the reasons for the decline based on qualitative interviews in Tokyo and Seoul. In addition to demographic decline, the erosion of faith between generations, the “pressures of modern life”, the decline in religious practices, and negative views of religion have also played a role. However, many claim to maintain a cultural connection with Buddhism and still feel drawn to its teachings.

Presented as a "tax measure”, the requirement further tightens digital surveillance in a country torn by civil war for more than five years following a military coup. By tracking devices, the regime is not only repressing dissent, but also undermining people’s daily survival thanks to high-tech tools made available by Chinese firms.

Residents in Yei Twin Gone, a village tract in Bago Region, were targeted in one of the latest attacks by Myanmar’s military junta after soldiers arrested about 160 locals to extract information on local resistance leaders. Fresh massacres were also reported in Rakhine and the Mandalay Region, with six more children killed.

The tragedy occurred at the Bantargebang site, where the capital's waste is sent. This is due to the country’s failure to address the problem, while the number of dangerous situations is growing. Only 11 per cent of plastic is recycled in Indonesia.