In Indonesia, some cash-strapped residents are selling pet dogs to be cooked

When Indonesian doctor Susana Somali saw a social media video of a pregnant dog about to be slaughtered, she was overcome with shock. “Someone posted images of this crying dog on social media and I saw the tears in her eyes,” she said. “That’s when I became aware of the butchers.” Since then, Somali has been confronting butchers and helping to rescue the animals from the chopping block. Somali’s sprawling Jakarta complex, home to about 1,400 canines, has become a refuge for at-risk animals…

Singapore election: hard truths for the PAP as voters deny ruling party an easy ride into power

Singapore ’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong went into Friday’s general election saying a nation deep in “the crisis of a generation” needed the leadership of a strong People’s Action Party (PAP).In the early hours of Saturday, his government was presented with a different set of hard truths. Voters demanding a check on PAP power boosted the opposition’s small presence in parliament and raised questions about the government’s carefully orchestrated leadership succession plans.As expected, the…

Malaysia sought Hong Kong’s help in search for 1MDB scandal fugitives

Malaysia’s police sought help from Hong Kong authorities in its 1MDB probe that includes the hunt for Jho Low, the alleged mastermind behind the billion-dollar scandal.The police have sent letters and information to their Hong Kong counterparts to seek help in the investigation, Inspector General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador said in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.“It’s not only Jho Low, I know the locations of four or five other people, but we can’t get them because of these certain restrictions,” he…

Malaysia smashes US$14 million people-smuggling syndicate, arrests police, soldiers

Authorities in Malaysia’s southern Johor state on Friday said they had crippled a major people-smuggling syndicate which is believed to have brought some 43,000 people in and out of the country with the help of corrupt police officers, immigration personnel and soldiers, resulting in 122 arrests. Inspector-General of Police Ahmad Hamid Bador described the rogue security officers as “treasonous” and said they had enabled “thousands of migrants to breach” the country’s borders. As Malaysia…

Indonesian man’s frozen body found on Chinese fishing vessel

The frozen body of an Indonesian man has been found aboard a detained Chinese fishing vessel, authorities said on Thursday, adding that they suspected foul play in the crew member’s death.Indonesian police said they intercepted two boats in the Malacca Strait this week after receiving a tip off that a crew member had died aboard one of the vessels.The 20-year-old may have been tortured and his body had been kept inside a freezer of the Lu Huang Yuan Yu 117 since late June, said Riau province…

Malaysia’s last living amah searches for her roots, hopes to reunite with family in China

A centenarian, believed to be the last living ma jie (amah) in Malaysia, is in search of her real identity and hopes to reunite with her family in China.The 105-year-old, who was part of the legacy of housekeepers known for keeping their hair in a long plait and donning white blouses and black pants, remembers her Cantonese name to be Ngan Dou Tai.She lost her identity card decades ago and because of her old age, her worn-out fingerprints cannot be scanned any more.Tan Swee Ban, the founder of…

Japanese girl, 3, starved to death after being left alone at home for a week

Police in Japan on Tuesday arrested a woman in Tokyo on suspicion of leaving her three-year-old child alone at their home for more than a week, while spending time with her boyfriend and letting the girl starve to death, police said.Saki Kakehashi, 24, admitted to the allegations, the police said, adding they believe she had routinely neglected and abused the daughter, Noa.Backing up the suspicion, a friend of Kakehashi’s told the police, “she had left home for several days or returned late at…

Malaysia’s palm oil firm Sime Darby probes allegations of labour abuse

Malaysia’s Sime Darby Plantation on Wednesday said it would look into “serious allegations” of forced and child labour conditions in its estates, after a Hong Kong-based activist group petitioned the US Customs to ban imports of its palm oil.The world’s largest palm oil company by land size is the latest Malaysian palm giant to be hit with calls for an import ban, following two similar petitions against FGV Holdings in August last year.Sime Darby is seen as a leader in sustainably-produced palm…

From Singapore to Thailand, why are political sibling rivalries such a huge draw?

Indonesian politician Rachmawati Sukarnoputri, 69, comes from a family of two presidents. Her father, Sukarno, fought for the country’s independence from Dutch rule, and was in office from 1945 to 1967. Her older sister Megawati Sukarnoputri, 73, who leads the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), was president from 2001 to 2004.But blood does not always bind siblings in politics.Rachmawati is known as a staunch critic of her sister. During last year’s bruising legislative and…

Singapore election: PM’s brother Lee Hsien Yang says PAP focused on elite, blind to citizens’ anger

The estranged brother of Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong made waves when he joined the opposition Progress Singapore Party last month.While he stopped short of contesting the July 10 poll, Lee Hsien Yang’s political foray signifies a shift in the family’s public squabble – from the feud over the house of their father and founding premier Lee Kuan Yew, to governance under the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) led by his elder brother.The feud has spilled over into other conflicts…