South East Asia

The first election in Mindanao’s war-torn Muslim-majority autonomous region was set to take place along with other national and local elections on 12 May. Funding for the vote and candidacy procedures remain unresolved issues. Meanwhile, violence in the region is on the rise.

Hasto Kristiyanto, a Catholic, is accused in connection with a bribery case involving the replacement of a PDIP lawmaker who died soon after being elected. His supporters slam the government, claiming that the investigation is politically motivated and directed at the main opposition party.

The Catholic communities throughout Asia are close to the pontiff, hospitalised at the Gemelli Polyclinic. He has been diagnosed with bilateral pneumonia, which has required a change in treatment. In the Philippines, the Rappler website has invited readers to share their prayers for Francis in a chat room.

The National Assembly approved a bill that provides for up to five years in prison for anyone who questions the atrocities of the Pol Pot regime. The measure comes a few months before the 50th anniversary of the Khmer Rouge seizure of power. For observers, the law could also be used to repress political dissent.

The rallies, coordinated by the All-Indonesia Association of University Student Executive Bodies, oppose cuts in education, repressive policies and the management of the Danantara sovereign wealth fund. The hashtag #IndonesiaGelap went viral on social media, a sign of mounting dissatisfaction. In Surabaya, young people clash with police.

Pannir Selvam Pranthaman is scheduled to hang on 20 February after 11 years in Singapore’s notorious Changi Prison. His family hopes for a stay of execution, urging friends and relatives to pray for a miracle. But the only way to stop the execution is for the Malaysian government to go before the International Court of Justice.

The charity, which has had a long and close connection with the Cambodian government, has received millions of dollars from entrepreneurs linked to online scam centres in Southeast Asia, some of whom sanctioned by Western governments. In the meantime, Myanmar and Thailand continue operations against online scams and human trafficking under pressure from China.

Southeast Asia expert Bridget Welsh analyses Kuala Lumpur's first steps at the helm of the bloc: the leadership will be successful if it puts ‘the interests of those who live in the region above those of its leaders’. ‘Calling for “inclusive elections” in Myanmar contradicts the real situation on the ground’.

An armed gang shot to death a 44-year-old priest in a village in the Sagaing region. For the Bishops' Conference, he was an innocent victim of the war like countless others. For the Archbishop of Mandalay, Marco Tin Win, “this heartbreaking tragedy” should be a clarion call to “wake up and end the violence.”

The Philippine team won the country's first-ever gold at the Asian Winter Games currently underway in Harbin (China), and now aim for a spot at Milano-Cortina 2026. Its members live in Switzerland, the United States and Canada. For the Philippine Olympic Committee, this is the best result for Southeast Asia.

AsiaNews source: ‘The school and the health centre have been hit, it's the fourth bombing raid against us’. In recent days in Chin State, the cathedral of the newly established diocese of Mindat has also been damaged. Card Bo makes a new appeal for peace: ‘Let us support the displaced, engage in dialogue, oppose injustice’.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines has approved a translation of the prayer into Filipino, the country’s lingua franca, to be used alongside the traditional Tagalog version, more closely in line with the original Latin text and adapted to changing times. The decision coincides with the Jubilee Year and the 50th anniversary of the pastoral letter on the relationship between Philippine Catholics and the Virgin Mary.