Asian Legal Review

Western governments are warning their citizens against travelling to nearly all of the southern third of the Philippines, citing the rising threats of terror attacks and kidnappings by Islamist militants.
Fresh alerts from Britain, Canada and Australia were released this week after President Rodrigo Duterte extended military rule across the southern region of Mindanao until the end of the year to combat the militants.
The Canadian advisory on Monday warned against visiting any part of Mindanao…

The 45% corporation tax charge on ‘restitution interest’ repaid to a company by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is lawful, a tax tribunal has ruled.

Fighting for a stable job, battling family issues and dealing with drug addiction, Ayu found in ­Islamic radicalism a window for acceptance and empowerment that she struggled to get more than 3,200km from home. She is one of about 45 Indonesian helpers who forged links with Islamic State while living in Hong Kong, a study by a Jakarta-based think tank showed on Wednesday. Small number of Indonesian domestic workers radicalised while in Hong Kong, report warns The Institute for…

By Yen Nee Lee The circumstances that brought down Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 remain one of the world’s greatest aviation mysteries, but the carrier’s chief executive said he believed a breakthrough can be made within the next four years. The plane, a Boeing 777, was carrying 239 people en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur when it vanished from radar screens in March 2014. Search operations concentrated in the southern Indian Ocean, but the aircraft was not found….

The House of Lords’ EU Internal Market Sub-Committee has launched an inquiry into the implications of Brexit on UK competition policy.

At least 10 people including a toddler died and two German tourists were among those rescued after a speedboat capsized off the coast of Borneo on Tuesday.
Witnesses said passengers jumped into the water without life jackets as the boat – carrying 51 people – capsized outside a busy Indonesian port and they feared others on board may have been trapped inside the boat, rescue officials said. “The boat had only been sailing for about 10 minutes when it was hit by a wave. It…

Thai authorities have frozen seven bank accounts belonging to ex-premier Yingluck Shinawatra over a US$1 billion fine she faces for her administration’s controversial rice subsidy scheme, her lawyer said on Tuesday.
The move is seen as unprecedented because it financially sanctions an elected leader for a government policy and it is the latest in a barrage of legal battles she has had to fight since she was booted from office.
Thailand’s first female prime minister, whose government…

The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) has ruled that a £14 billion collective action claim against MasterCard over credit card interchange fees cannot proceed.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte vowed on Monday to press on with his controversial drug war that has claimed thousands of lives, as he outlined his vision of an “eye-for-an-eye” justice system.
Duterte devoted large chunks of his annual State of the Nation Address to pushing his law-and-order policies that have made him hugely popular with many Filipinos, but been condemned by human rights groups and other critics.
“No matter how long it takes, the fight against illegal…

Southeast Asian ride-hailing service Grab expects to raise US$2.5 billion in a record round of fundraising to cement its lead over Uber Technolgies in the region and grow its payments platform.
Southeast Asia has become a key battleground for technology startups vying for a market of more than 600 million people, with a burgeoning middle class as well as a youthful, internet-savvy demographic.
Grab’s Chinese peer Didi Chuxing and Japan’s SoftBank Group, both of which are existing…