The Myanmar junta’s highly publicised crackdown on cyberfraud hubs near its borders is less a law enforcement statement than a calculated performance, analysts say, aimed at placating China and shoring up credibility ahead of an election widely seen as illegitimate.
Observers said the operation reflected the military’s need to project control in the face of domestic insurgency and foreign pressure, particularly from Beijing, whose citizens have been both victims and conscripts in the sprawling…
NSW case confirms when a de facto director can be held liable for insolvent trading
A recent decision by the Supreme Court of New South Wales (NSW) confirms that a person exercising ultimate authority over a company holds the responsibilities of a director, even if they are not listed as one on the corporate regulator’s records.
In its year under Malaysia, Asean tried to set systemic reform in motion
The dust has yet to settle despite the conclusion of the 47th Asean Summit under Malaysia, which remains the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations for the remainder of the year.
There are two main takeaways from the Kuala Lumpur meetings. First, by most objective measures, Malaysia has successfully pulled off not only the summit but its year-long chairmanship, steering several initiatives long in the making past the finish line.
One of the most consequential is the formal admission…
US lawmakers urge Trump to condemn Myanmar’s China-backed ‘sham’ elections
A bipartisan group of US lawmakers is urging Donald Trump’s administration to reject Myanmar’s “sham” elections next month, days after the administration cited the country’s electoral progress as grounds to remove legal protections for Myanmar nationals in the US.
“Burma’s planned elections this December are proving to be a sham,” said Representatives Brian Mast and Gregory Meeks and Senators Jim Risch and Jeanne Shaheen on Wednesday, using the former name for the war-torn country.
“Orchestrated…
‘Radical reset’ needed to simplify UK nuclear regulation, claims industry review
Calls by an independent review for a ‘radical reset’ of Britain’s approach to nuclear regulation after a relative decline in the country’s ability to build projects on time and on budget will be welcomed by the industry, according to an expert.
Jakarta bans dog and cat meat sales to curb rabies, in win for animal rights
Indonesia’s capital Jakarta has banned the selling and consumption of dog, cat and bat meat to prevent rabies transmission, the city’s governor announced on Tuesday, in a win for animal rights advocates.
“I have signed the regulation … which prohibits the sale of rabies-transmitting animals for food purposes,” Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung said in a statement on social media, a month after promising to do so.
The regulation, which Pramono said he signed on Monday, provides a six-month grace…
Bangkok prison chief suspended over Chinese inmate sex scandal
Thai authorities have suspended a prison chief in Bangkok over allegations that high-profile Chinese inmates were granted access to women in a private cell and other privileges, the justice ministry said.
The scandal erupted last week after local media reported two Chinese women were allowed into the Bangkok Remand Prison to visit inmates, allegedly to provide sex services, raising questions over who authorised their entry.
The prison detains more than 4,000 men awaiting trial, and has held some…
UK court’s decision on BHP dam collapse a ‘significant landmark in mass action litigation’
Legal experts at Pinsent Masons say that a recent decision in a UK court, finding that BHP is liable for potentially billions more in compensation following the 2015 collapse of the Fundao tailings dam in Brazil that killed 19 people, is a “significant landmark in mass action litigation”.
US ends temporary legal status for Myanmar nationals
The Trump administration said on Monday it is ending temporary legal status for citizens of Myanmar in the United States, arguing they can safely return to the war-torn Southeast Asian country and citing the military junta’s planned elections as evidence of an improving situation.
The move sparked concern for individuals who may be forced to return to Myanmar, which has been in political turmoil since the military seized power in a 2021 coup, ousting a civilian government and sparking a…
‘Everyone was startled’: Thai woman ‘wakes up’ in coffin before cremation
A woman in Thailand shocked temple staff when she started moving in her coffin after being brought in for cremation.
Wat Rat Prakhong Tham, a Buddhist temple in the province of Nonthaburi on the outskirts of Bangkok, posted a video on its Facebook page, showing a woman lying in a white coffin in the back of a pickup truck, slightly moving her arms and head, leaving temple staff bewildered.
Pairat Soodthoop, the temple’s general and financial affairs manager, said on Monday that the 65-year-old…