Thailand’s Future Forward leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit defiant as post-election legal challenges pile up

The billionaire leader of the newest and most dynamic force in Thai politics says he is “prepared” for jail as legal cases besiege his youth-focused party just weeks after it scooped up millions of votes in a general election.Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, the charismatic political newcomer whose radical agenda of social and economic reform captured millennial hearts and rattled the ruling junta, was expected to appear at the Election Commission on Tuesday to explain a disputed share transfer…

China’s relationship with Asean under scrutiny as Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi makes first visit to Cambodia

Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi made her first diplomatic visit to Cambodia this week, underscoring the similarities between two countries that find themselves increasingly isolated from the international community.According to the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Suu Kyi arrived in Cambodia on April 29, flying from Beijing where she and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen attended the second Belt and Road Forum.While the statement claimed the visit would strengthen cooperation…

South Korea to scour globe in hunt for Iran oil replacement

South Korea is likely to return to a familiar game plan to replace Iranian oil it will no longer have access to after May now that the United States intends to tighten sanctions on Iran’s exports.South Korea is the biggest buyer of Iranian condensate, an ultralight oil prized by the country’s refiners as a raw material for petrochemicals manufacturing.SK Incheon Petrochem, Hyundai Oilbank and Hanwha Total Petrochemical are set to once again scan the world for alternative, but more expensive,…

Dozens dead in Indonesian floods, 12,000 more evacuated

Floods sparked by torrential rains have killed nearly 40 in Indonesia with a dozen more still missing, officials said on Monday, marking the latest calamity for a disaster-prone nation.Landslides and floods are common, especially during the monsoon season between October and April, when rains lash the vast Southeast Asian archipelago.On Monday, Indonesia’s disaster agency confirmed 29 deaths and said at least 13 more people were missing in Sumatra island’s Bengkulu province.A landslide…

At least 10 dead, thousands displaced after severe flooding in Indonesia

At least 10 people are dead and eight missing after days of heavy rain-triggered floods and landslides on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, authorities said on Sunday.Some 12,000 people have been evacuated while hundreds of buildings, bridges and roads have been damaged by the severe weather which affected nine districts or towns across Bengkulu province, officials said.The waters have receded in some places but officials warned the full extent of the damage was not yet known and some areas…

Thai Sriracha plays it cool in the US and spices it up in China after realising it can take the heat

Any Asian worth his salt would know Sriracha is a must-have sauce at the dinner table. It makes everything spicier, and for those living overseas, it is the familiar flavour of home.Sriracha, the name of a former fishing village in Thailand’s eastern coastal town of Chonburi, has been the generic name for the hot sauce made of chillies, vinegar, salt and sugar for almost a century, but no one really knows who invented it.But the Sriracha market is dominated by two brands.In the United States,…

The strange lives of Sri Lanka’s Easter Sunday suicide bombers

Details regarding the suicide bombers involved in the attacks in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday appear stranger by the minute.The copper factory belonging to one of them, 33-year-old Illham Ibrahim, had received favourable treatment from the state, it has now been revealed.When Sri Lanka Telecom wanted to dispose of copper cables, the tender was given to the suicide bomber’s operation, according to Ranjith Vithanage, president of the country’s Consumer Rights Protection Association.The copper…

Widodo thinks he won the election, as does Prabowo. Is Indonesia on the verge of a 1998-style uprising?

In the past week, the spectre of Indonesia’s deadly May 1998 protests has been whispered about with alarm among the intelligentsia as the nation awaits the final count of last week’s presidential election.Memories of that dark chapter in Indonesia have flooded back as Prabowo Subianto’s camp has become increasingly restless, with supporters insisting he won the ballot despite exit polls showing him trailing behind incumbent President Joko Widodo.“Prabowo’s campaign team can accuse whoever of…