Asian Legal Review

At least five superyachts owned by Russian billionaires were anchored or cruising on Wednesday in Maldives, an Indian Ocean island nation that does not have an extradition treaty with the United States, ship tracking data showed.The vessels’ arrival in the archipelago off the coast of Sri Lanka follows the imposition of severe Western sanctions on Russia in reprisal for its February 24 invasion of Ukraine.Forbes reported late on Wednesday that Germany had seized Russian billionaire Alisher…

The United States said on Wednesday it would follow the lead of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) by inviting a non-political representative from military-ruled Myanmar to a summit with the 10-country bloc in Washington this month.President Joe Biden plans to host a special summit of the United States and Asean leaders on March 28 and 29.“The United States supports Asean’s decision to invite non-political representatives from Burma to high-level Asean events,” a spokesperson…

The killing of an Indian gangster on Phuket island has highlighted Thailand’s reputation as a hideout for foreign criminals, even amid a pandemic that has restricted global travel and heightened scrutiny of people’s movements.Jimi “Slice” Sandhu, 32, was gunned down as he left his car on the night of February 4 by two hooded suspects lying in wait outside his rented villa.Sandhu was widely believed to have links to the criminal underworld of Vancouver, having been deported from Canada several…

A plunging rouble, flight cancellations and money-transfer difficulties are prompting Russian and European tourists to cancel trips to Thailand, a blow to the Southeast Asian nation’s tourism-revival efforts.The exclusion of many Russian banks from the Swift payments network has resulted in tour operators running into problems when making transfers, according to Charintip Tiyaphorn, co-owner of Pimalai Resort & Spa in Phuket. Some flights have been cancelled following Russia’s invasion of…

Businesses that breach UK sanctions are more likely to be hit with fines under proposed changes to legislation that have been outlined.

Singapore’s biggest banks are restricting trade financing for Russian raw materials, as the war in Ukraine spurs lenders in Asia’s largest energy and commodities trading hub to reduce exposure to the sanction-hit country.The limits include a halt on issuing so-called in US dollars for trades involving Russian commodities, including oil and liquefied natural gas, according to people familiar with the situation.DBS Group Holdings Ltd., Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. and United Overseas Bank Ltd…

The energy department of the Philippines’ government has begun an auction to award two gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity via its green energy auction programme.

President Joe Biden will play host to a special summit of the United States and leaders of Southeast Asian leaders on March 28 and 29 in Washington, the White House announced on Monday.The White House summit, part of US efforts to step up engagement with a region Washington sees as critical to its efforts to push back against China’s growing power, had been expected earlier in the year, but scheduling was delayed by Covid-19 concerns.White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the summit of the…

Parts of Australia’s third-most populous city Brisbane were under water on Monday after heavy rain brought record flooding to some east coast areas and killed seven people.The flooding in Brisbane and its surrounds is the worst since 2011 when the city of 2.6 million people was inundated by what was described as a once-in-a-century event.A 59-year-old man drowned in Brisbane’s north on Sunday afternoon after he tried to cross a flooded creek on foot and was pinned against a fence, Queensland…

Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said the evacuation of its diplomatic staff in the under-siege Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Saturday was part of a detailed plan previously endorsed by the country’s top leaders, and refuted claims that the effort was bungled.The South China Morning Post had reported based on multiple government sources that a group of diplomats led by the Charge D’Affaires ad interim Fadillah Daud decided to evacuate to neighbouring Poland in four cars after earlier…