Asian Legal Review

The Netherlands pledged on Friday to return to Indonesia the remains of “Java Man”, the first-ever “Homo erectus” unearthed by modern scientists, in a landmark discovery for human evolution.
The Dutch plan to hand back some 28,000 fossils of the “Dubois Collection” looted by anatomist and geologist Eugene Dubois in 1891, when Indonesia was still a colony of the Netherlands.
They include Java Man’s skull cap, molar and femur that form part of evolutionary history – providing the first established…

India on Thursday signed a US$7 billion order for 97 domestically designed and built Tejas fighter jets as its air force retires its outgoing Russian MiG-21 jets after decades of use.
The first Tejas jets – meaning “brilliance” in Hindi – were commissioned into the air force in 2016, with the latest commission for the fourth-generation version of the fighter, Mk-1A.
India, one of the world’s largest arms importers, has made the modernisation of its forces a top priority, and made repeated pushes…

Semiconductor manufacturers in Southeast Asia must shift production to the US or face punitive tariffs, Washington’s top trade official warned on Thursday, saying tariffs “are the solution” if trade talks with regional governments fail to deliver results.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer delivered the message in Kuala Lumpur, where he met with ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
Greer’s comments came as members of the regional bloc raced to secure better…

A ruling by the High Court in England to recognise the provisional liquidation of a Jersey-incorporated company for the first time will provide reassurance to creditors, an expert has said.

At least four people were killed and dozens injured in India’s Himalayan region of Ladakh on Wednesday as protesters demanding statehood for the federal territory and job quotas for local residents clashed with police, two sources said.
The Buddhist-Muslim enclave lost its autonomy in 2019 when it was carved out of Jammu and Kashmir state by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and placed under the direct administration of New Delhi. Protesters, led by activist Sonam Wangchuk, also want…

With China’s economic clout still its “strongest card” in Southeast Asia, Beijing is continuing to gain prominence in all corners of the region as its leading external partner, according to a study released on Wednesday.
According to the Lowy Institute’s Southeast Asia Influence Index, China has an overall score of 65 out of 100, a one-point lead over its nearest rival, the United States, making it the “most influential power” in six of the region’s 11 countries: Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia,…

Changes to UK immigration rules aimed at tightening visa requirements and reducing UK net migration will have a significant impact over the coming year for both employers recruiting workers and education providers recruiting international students.

US President Donald Trump’s announcement of an up to fifty-fold increase in the cost of skilled worker permits under the H-1B visa programme has rattled India’s tech industry, which has provided highly qualified manpower and services to American enterprises for decades.
On Friday, Washington announced that the H-1B fee would be raised to US$100,000, from a range of US$2,000 to US$5,000 previously, based on the manpower strength of the company applying for the visa.
The H-1B is a three-year…

The race to replace coal in Indonesia, the world’s largest coal exporter, has become a contest between the US and China. At stake is not only Indonesia’s climate future, but also which superpower sets the terms for the next generation of energy in the developing world.
Like much of the developing world, Indonesia faces a choice between two stark energy futures.
Chinese companies signed more than US$54 billion in agreements in 2023 with Indonesian state utility PLN, while Indonesian President…

Mass protests swept across the Philippines as Super Typhoon Ragasa approached, with citizens from all walks of life venting outrage at deepening corruption, particularly over the alleged plunder of funds from flood control projects meant to shield communities from disasters.
The demonstrations in cities across the country that took place on Sunday – loosely organised through social media, university groups, churches and word of mouth – marked perhaps the country’s largest protests in years…