SCMP Asia·Thursday, January 8, 2026

SCMP Asia - Thursday, January 8, 2026

10 stories~15 min

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Stories Covered

Malaysia ends corruption case against PM Anwar’s deputy, Ahmad Zahid over lack of evidence

Malaysian prosecutors said on Thursday that they have put an end to their ‌corruption case against Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, saying that ‍there was insufficient evidence to continue. The move by the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) came more than two years after corruption charges against Ahmad Zahid, the leader of a ⁠key partner in Malaysia’s ruling coalition, were dropped to allow prosecutors to conduct further investigations. The Kuala Lumpur High Court in September 2023...

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Malaysian football body reinstates its chief, says he has no role in forgery scandal

Malaysia’s football governing body on Thursday reinstated its secretary general Noor Azman Rahman with immediate effect, after finding that he had no role in the forgery of documents used to enable seven foreign-born players to represent the country. The Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) was plunged into an embarrassing crisis in September after Fifa, the sport’s global ruling body, ruled that FAM had submitted forged documents to claim Malaysian ancestry for seven “heritage” players of the

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South Korea’s proposed foreign crime bill sparks xenophobia fears over migration

Migrant rights and other civic groups have condemned a bill proposed by conservative South Korean lawmakers that would require immigration authorities to publish crime statistics on foreign nationals, broken down by nationality and visa status, warning that the measure could fuel xenophobia. Civic organisations said on Thursday that the proposal would stigmatise immigrants by singling them out as potential criminals, despite evidence showing that foreign residents are less likely to commit...

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How Malaysia’s military tender scandal is bringing ‘opaque’ defence deals to light

Malaysia’s anti-corruption agency is pushing deeper into one of the country’s most opaque corners, the defence procurement system, in a widening investigation into allegations of cartel-like tender fixing, bribery and unexplained cash movements. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has in recent weeks expanded its investigation into the Defence Ministry following a whistle-blower’s claim that documents showed large monthly deposits into accounts linked to a senior military officer and

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Uniform justice? Why the Philippine military expelled a lawmaker but not VP Sara Duterte

The Philippine military has opted to keep Vice-President Sara Duterte-Carpio in charge of an army reserve command despite her incendiary public remarks, even as it recently expelled a pro-Duterte lawmaker from the reserve force for politicised conduct. Military officers and defence observers said the contrasting treatment underscores how power, political risk and legal grey zones shape how the Armed Forces of the Philippines disciplines its reservists, as the rift between the president and his..

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Klang residents ‘living in fear’ as gang shootings rip through Malaysian port city

A string of gang-related shootings in Klang has rattled residents who fear venturing out even during daytime, putting rising gun violence and deteriorating public safety in Malaysia’s Selangor state back in the spotlight. On Wednesday, two motorcycle-borne assailants shot dead a 43-year-old man in Taman Wangsa, a suburb in the port city near Kuala Lumpur, before fleeing, Selangor Deputy Commissioner Mohd Zaini Abu Hassan said. Police also launched an investigation to hunt a suspect who gunned...

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Malaysia turns to ‘honest, reliable’ Turkey for stability amid rising US aggression

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s latest outreach to Turkey indicates a growing urgency among developing nations to close ranks with like-minded partners, experts say, amid uncertainty caused by US tariffs and mounting military aggression. Malaysia and Turkey on Wednesday agreed to elevate diplomatic and economic ties by establishing a High Level Strategic Cooperation Council. Chaired by the leaders of both nations, the council will oversee development across trade and investments in...

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Singapore’s Lee Hsien Loong says US raid in Venezuela is worrying for small countries

The United States’ intervention into Venezuela would have worrying long-term consequences to the international system and small countries in particular, Singapore’s former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Thursday. Senior Minister Lee, who stepped down as prime minister in May 2024, noted that Singapore had always stated its position unequivocally and voted accordingly on such matters that were contrary to international law and the UN Charter, listing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the..

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Nearly 94% of Malaysians who renounced citizenship chose Singapore, data shows

Most Malaysians who renounced their citizenship over the past five years went on to become Singaporeans, official data shows, underscoring the city state’s pull amid long-standing brain drain concerns. In the past five years, 61,116 Malaysians gave up their citizenship, Malaysia’s National Registration Department director general Badrul Hisham Alias said, as reported by the New Straits Times newspaper. Of those, nearly all – 57,314 individuals or close to 94 per cent – picked Singapore as their.

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Cambodia dissolves accused scam tycoon Chen Zhi’s Prince Bank

A Cambodian bank founded by accused scam boss Chen Zhi, who has been indicted by the United States over a multibillion-dollar fraud and extradited to China, was ordered liquidated on Thursday, Cambodia’s central bank said. Prince Bank “has been placed under liquidation in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom of Cambodia”, the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) said in a statement. Prince Bank has been “suspended from providing new banking services, including accepting deposits and providing...

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