Asean news headlines as at 10pm on Thursday (Dec 19)


A 12 metre-tall statue of Young-hee, the iconic doll from Netflix's South Korean TV series 'Squid Game', is seen on a barge in front of Wat Arun temple on the Chao Prayer River ahead of the launch of Season 2, in Bangkok on Dec 19, 2024. - AFP

Malaysia

* New judge to preside over 1MDB's US$346mil suit against Rosmah

* Respect court's decision to acquit Rosmah, says Zahid

* Rosmah calls acquittal a 'meaningful birthday gift'

* High Court acquits Rosmah of RM7mil money laundering and tax charges

* Influencer Ady Hu among two M'sians held for fraud by Taiwan authorities

* Cops probing PAS president Hadi over alleged comments on Batu Puteh issue

* Sabah PKR rejects claims of political plot behind Musa’s appointment as TYT

* Petrol station company, two directors charged with selling subsidised diesel beyond permitted limit

* Seat negotiations within Sabah Pakatan 75% complete, says state PKR

* Papagomo under investigation for video insulting IGP

* Johor cops receive 952 body-worn cameras

* Japan leverages Madani framework to strengthen ties with Malaysia

* Brothers claim trial for cheating two individuals of more than RM450,000

* AGC plans to appeal Rosmah's acquittal

* Malaysia-China 11-month trade matches 2023 total trade, signalling strong recovery

* New A330neo aircraft joins Malaysia Airlines fleet

* Former cook escapes gallows as High Court frees him of murder charge

* Man arrested for insulting royal institution and PM

Singapore

* 59 workers, including 25 from Yeo’s, to be laid off due to Oatly Singapore plant closure

* Heavy traffic expected at land checkpoints in Singapore for year-end holidays; record number of travellers on Dec 13

* Longer travelling time on Thomson-East Coast Line trains between Woodlands North and Bayshore stations due to signal fault

* Scoot apologises after KL-bound flight took off 1½ hours earlier than scheduled on Nov 1

* Senior citizen jailed for sealing flat’s padlock with glue, assaulting man with diluted bleach

* Singapore authority Acra to restore Bizfile search function; restrict access to full NRIC numbers to paying users

Thailand

* Thai lawyer Arnon gets another two years, eight months over Harry Potter rally

* Thai police at border town kill six in gunfight to rescue Chinese businessman

* Five arrested in crackdown on Japanese call centre gang in Chonburi, Thailand

* Unfazed by police lock, western tourists pull bike away in Phuket

* 45 buffaloes abandoned by cross-border smugglers on Thai-Laos border

Indonesia

* Indonesia president pledges to pardon 'corrupters' who return what they stole

* Flash flood in Indonesia's North Sumatra leaves 10 injured

* Apple close to winning Indonesian approval to end iPhone 16 ban

* Pakistan, Indonesia agree to deepen economic, commercial ties

Philippines

* Philippines president says legal experts to consider clemency requests for convict Veloso

* VP Sara Duterte hit by third impeachment complaint

* Philippine House tags Duterte, others for ‘crimes against humanity’

* Holiday online shopping fraud ‘alarmingly high’ in Philippines

* Philippine central bank cuts policy rate as expected, flags measured easing in 2025

Vietnam

* Two victims in critical condition following café arson that killed 11 in Hanoi

* Man arrested for setting fire to cafe, killing 11 in Hanoi

* US envoy to Vietnam says US arms manufacturers could help Vietnam build up its armed forces

* 11 dead in Hanoi karaoke bar fire: police

* Vietnam PM eyes expansion of defence cooperation, US offers to play role

Cambodia

* Cambodia, UN agency sign MoU to strengthen cooperation on water supply, climate-resilient infrastructure projects

* Restoration work on Bayon Temple's terrace in Cambodia's Angkor Park completed

* Cambodia's Techo International Airport set to officially open in July 2025

Myanmar

* Myanmar pledges 2025 elections at six-nation consultation

* Sri Lanka navy to aid boat of 100 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar

* Myanmar civil war risks regional humanitarian crisis, warns Thai think tank

* Myanmar police destroy 960 acres of opium in eastern Myanmar

Laos

* Korea, Laos friendship groups pledge stronger cooperation in 2025

* Laos seeks to boost digital economy

Brunei

* Brunei Sultan meets with King Charles III in London

* Forecast shows unstable weather, thundershowers in Brunei

Aseanplus

* China woman scams blind date out of US$65,000 by hiring actors to pose as family and herself

* Vanuatu braces for possible cyclone two days after deadly quake - rescue mission continues

* South Korean conservatives make bizarre attempt to report K-pop star IU to the CIA

* Two South Korean colleagues win nearly US$689,000 lottery within minutes of each other

* Japanese police arrest man who stabbed schoolgirl to death at McDonald’s

* Divers, helicopters hunt survivors of Mumbai boat accident that killed 13

* Guilty plea for New York man who ran secret Chinese 'police station'

* Australia slows some foreign student visas after cap plan fails

* China eatery criticised for labelling cheap dishes as ‘kinder rates’, pricey ones as ‘PhD rates’

* Delhi-National Capital Region critical as air quality turns hazardous

* Chinese man gets to keep US$40,000 that his unfaithful ex-girlfriend gave as a form of apology, court rules

* South Korea's Yoon willing to present views himself in legal proceedings, lawyer says

* Woman in Madhya Pradesh stabs to death girl suspected of having affair with husband

* Newspaper body submits public comment to Japanese government; requests creation of legal framework to fit age of generative AI

* Asian stocks track Wall St down after Fed forecast, BoJ hits yen

* Renowned singer-songwriter Hai Lai A Mu is set to make history with his first-ever concert outside China - and its in KL

* Former Category III star Amy Yip invests in durian-themed hotel in Penang

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Asean , news , headlines , Dec 19

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