Asian Legal Review

Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad is observing self-quarantine after coming into close contact with an MP who tested positive for Covid-19.“He is under self-quarantine,” a spokesman said on Thursday.It is believed the 95-year-old statesman took a picture with Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen, who is now under quarantine at Sarawak General Hospital.Yii said he had tested positive for Covid-19 in a Facebook post on March 17, after coming into close contact with Sarikei MP…

Cambodia’s relaxed approach to the global spread of the novel coronavirus has taken a dramatic turn, with its number of cases almost tripling from the weekend. Phnom Penh on Wednesday announced there were 37 confirmed cases in the country, up from 12 on Sunday. Most of them are foreign nationals or locals who had recently travelled overseas, with at least 24 having at the end of last month attended a gathering at a Kuala Lumpur mosque, which has been linked to more than 400 cases in Malaysia.
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Thousands of Muslim pilgrims from across Asia gathered in Indonesia on Wednesday, despite fears that their meeting could fuel the spread of a coronavirus, just two weeks after a similar event in Malaysia caused more than 500 infections.Organisers and regional officials said the event in the world’s fourth most populous nation had begun, although the regional police chief said he was making a last-ditch effort to persuade organisers to call it off.“We are more afraid of God,” one of the…

This month, one of Thailand’s most popular public institutions – kick boxing stadiums – will be closed for the first time in decades.Rajadamnern Muaythai Stadium and New Lumpinee Boxing Stadium are two of the major stadiums that have announced a temporary closure after authorities said at least 27 people were infected with the novel coronavirus at a Bangkok stadium over the past week, without naming the venue.Thai actor Matthew Deane became the first celebrity in Thailand to contract the…

Worshippers slept in packed tents outside the golden-domed mosque, waking before dawn to kneel on rows of prayer mats laid out in its cavernous central hall. All the while, the coronavirus was passing unnoticed among the guests.The Muslim gathering held at the end of last month at a sprawling mosque complex on the outskirts of Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur has emerged as a source of hundreds of new coronavirus infections spanning Southeast Asia.A 34-year-old Malaysian man who attended the…

As fate would have it, in the past month I have travelled to Italy as the coronavirus was accelerating from nuisance to epidemic; Hong Kong, where the virus has been held in check; Malaysia, where numbers were less stable than appearances suggested; and the UAE, still in the early stages of the virus.Reflecting on these experiences, my impression is that the public in these countries is at various stages of a journey from annoyance to denial to shock and acceptance. After my snapshot visits I…

Malaysia has announced restrictions on movement for two weeks from March 18, barring its citizens from travelling overseas and shutting all businesses except shops selling food and daily necessities, in a drastic move to stem a surge in coronavirus infections.In a live address on Monday evening, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the Movement Control Order would be in effect until March 31.“The government views this situation seriously, especially with the development of the second wave [of…

As the Philippines confronts an unprecedented health crisis in the form of the coronavirus outbreak, with public confusion heightened by contradictory orders from authorities, an unfamiliar hush had by Sunday fallen over its capital. In Metro Manila, traffic was magically cleared from the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue ring road, known as Edsa, normally choked by infamous gridlock. The sounds of blaring music and honking cars, the rumble and screech of passenger buses revving up in stops and…

Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Sunday said he would get tested for the deadly coronavirus, while some of his ministers had also undergone precautionary tests after the Southeast Asian country’s transport minister tested positive for the disease.Widodo also suggested people work from home and avoid mass gatherings, as he sought to calm rising concerns about the spread of the virus in the sprawling archipelago.Indonesia on Sunday reported its number of infections had risen by 21 to 117. Five…

A year after releasing A Plastic Ocean , an award-winning documentary about the disastrous effects of disposable plastic on the world’s oceans, Craig Leeson turned his attention to a different project.
In 2017, the Australian and long-time Hong Kong resident went filming in the Alps to focus on extreme alpine sports – but when he found out about the work of a group of French scientists measuring ice deep inside the glaciers, he was drawn back to the mission of shining a light on the perils of…