Author: viking

Seven Thai parties forming a “democratic front” opposed to military rule have secured a combined majority of the 500 seats contested in the weekend’s election and say they are ready to form a coalition despite proxies of junta chief Prayuth Chan-ocha insisting they are entitled to govern.The pro-democrat camp’s announcement on Wednesday added a further twist to the confusion following Sunday’s voting.Explained: Thailand’s politics and monarchySeven parties led by Pheu Thai, the party projected…

The representative member of a VAT group remains entitled to recover overpaid VAT, even if the company whose activities gave rise to the supplies – the ‘real world supplier’ – has left the VAT group by the time the repayment is claimed, the Court of Appeal has determined.

Indonesia’s economy, the biggest in Southeast Asia, has received a timely boost from an election campaign that’s kicking into high gear.With the first ever simultaneous presidential and legislative elections drawing closer on April 17, spending by the government and political parties is already in overdrive. From the printing of pamphlets to mass gatherings, election activity has intensified in the past two weeks and is set to pick up in coming days.“Indonesian people mostly have a short memory…

The UK government has announced that it is extending arrangements for simplified customs procedures to all UK ports, if Brexit takes place without a withdrawal agreement in place.

Brunei is set to fast-track changes to its penal code that could see people from the LGBTQ community whipped or stoned to death for same-sex activity, human rights groups said on Monday, as they condemned the move.Brunei introduced Islamic criminal law in 2014 when it announced the first of three stages of legal changes that included fines or jail for offences like pregnancy outside marriage or failing to pray on Friday.Previously homosexuality was illegal in Brunei and punishable by up to 10…

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Monday that a long-awaited trip to China will take place next week, but had been shortened in the wake of the Christchurch mosque killings.Ardern said she would travel to Beijing on Sunday then hold a full day of meetings on Monday with the leaders of New Zealand’s largest trading partner, including President Xi Jinping, before returning home the next day.She said she did not want to spend too long away from New Zealand as it continues to…

The Shinawatra political bloc that prevailed in Thailand’s past five elections woke on Monday to the unfamiliar prospect of life on parliament’s opposition benches as results from Sunday’s election showed its pro-military rivals headed for victory.The bloc’s architect, self-exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, from Hong Kong urged supporters to have “hope” but did not mention the prospect of defeat.His bloc has for two decades channelled populist support from Thailand’s rural…

As digital landscapes shift between the new and the old, blockchain and cryptocurrencies have quietly risen in popularity, particularly as countries experiment with emerging technologies. With power increasingly framed by Asia’s soft ambitions as the region embarks on more persuasive methods of influence, the continent’s blockchain market is projected to grow by an estimated 87 per cent , with the next chapter of adoption likely to unfold within the East. Even as Asia continues its advance,…

OVER 10 MONTHS, she was caned, barred from using the toilet, forced to eat her own vomit and warned that her relatives could be killed if she complained. It was a life Moe Moe Than, 32, a domestic worker from Myanmar, never imagined when she arrived in Singapore in 2012.Last week, her Singaporean employers, a married couple with three children, were sent to prison – one for almost four years, the other for two years. They are also facing prison time for abusing an Indonesian helper who worked…

C hina’s multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative includes some of the world’s most complex infrastructure projects – ports, pipelines and railways stretching from Beijing to Berlin.As the initiative intensifies, so too have the legal disputes between investors, foreign governments and Chinese players, making the rules about how disputes are decided more important than ever.Hong Kong and Singapore, two of the world’s most trusted centres for resolving international legal disputes, are…