Asean News Headlines at 10pm on Monday (Jan 19, 2025)

People gather in front of the Indonesian Embassy in Phnom Penh on Monday, January 19, 2026. More than 400 Indonesians were freed by cyberscam networks in Cambodia this month, Jakarta said on January 19, after Phnom Penh announced a fresh crackdown on the illicit industry following the arrest of a prominent alleged boss. From January 1 to 18, 440 Indonesians, who were "released by online scam syndicates", came to the embassy in Phnom Penh, many seeking to return home, according to a post by Indonesia's ambassador to Cambodia, Santo Darmosumarto on Instagram. -- Photo by AFP

Malaysia

* Sultan Ibrahim opens fifth session of 15th Parliament / * King wants corruption stamped out

* BM must be given priority, decrees King

* Nation's interests take priority over individual states' rights, King decrees

* King calls for stronger national security laws amid rising digital threats

* Sultan Ibrahim’s Royal Address, ‘concise, comprehensive’, full of key messages, says Zahid

* Heed King's reprimand, firm action on MPs for touching on 3R during Parliament, warns Speaker

* Govt committed to fulfilling MA63 in line with Royal Decree, says Mustapha

* MACC confirms it is investigating alleged RM2.5bil money laundering scheme

* MACC submits papers on Armed Forces corruption probe to prosecutor

* Najib and former AG settle lawsuit over memoir

* Over 3,500 pieces of impure gold items seized

* Two found charred in car fire at Jitra Toll Plaza

* Teacher accused of cutting off student's headscarf transferred to another school, says State Education Director

* MetMalaysia issues advisory on tropical storm Nokaen

* Melaka announces special public holiday for civil servants on 1 Ramadan

* MAHB 2025 passenger traffic reaches 15.53mil as VM2026 kicks off

* Immigration officer caught in KLIA passenger entry misconduct

* Selangor has highest bankruptcy rate, teachers form significant proportion

* Rapper Namewee claims trial for possessing ED drug, meth

* Nadia Kesuma laid to rest in Jeddah after subuh prayer

* Johor records RM102bil in approved investments for 2025, highest among states

* Senior immigration officer claims trial to four graft charges

* Smuggling by any other name: AKPS seizes 46kg of roses without import permit

* Aeroline-Corus KLCC agreement ceases with hotel closure

* New site ready for temple relocation, says Yeoh

* Immigration officer faces 53 counts of graft, wife accused of using ill-gotten gains to buy gold

Pheu Thai Party prime minister candidate Yodchanan Wongsawat (left) receives flowers from his supporters during an election campaign event in Nonthaburi Province, Thailand, Monday, Jan 19, 2026. -- AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit

Singapore

* Man in Singapore convicted of sexually assaulting girlfriend’s daughter in van and at home

* Singapore to set up consulates in Sarawak, Sabah

* 'Forget the new notes': Singapore encourages using old banknotes, digital red envelopes during Chinese New Year

* Seven years’ jail, caning for man who sexually assaulted woman in Singapore's Kallang park toilet cubicle

* Jail for former pre-school employees who covered up cook’s sexual assault of two-year-old girl in Singapore

* Singapore jails former pre-school employees who covered up cook’s sexual assault on two-year-old girl

* Himalayan vulture rescued by ACRES dies after condition deteriorated quickly

* Expat who left wife, children and quit Singapore job ordered to pay S$634,000 in backdated support

* Singaporean singer Nathan Hartono ties the knot with actress Liz Sargeant Tan

* Malaysian actor Zhang Zetong buys new home in Singapore due to issues with renting

* Johor and S'pore reaffirm bilateral ties

Indonesia

* Indonesia chairs UN human rights council for first time: Milestone or empty symbol?

* Indonesia's Prabowo nominates nephew as central bank deputy governor

* Emerging Markets -Indonesian rupiah hovers near record lows on fiscal woes, trade war risks

* Indonesia’s domestic investors dominate as FDI falters for 2025

* Missing Indonesian hiker found dead on Mt Slamet

* Indonesia air tragedy: * Missing plane wreckage found

* Press freedom under strain as journalists in Indonesia face more threats

* Indonesia's Prabowo nominates nephew as central bank deputy governor, sources say

Philippines' Alexandra Eala hits a return to USA's Alycia Parks during their women's singles match on day two of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 19, 2026. -- Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP

Thailand

* Thailand shrouded by poor air-quality again; govt issues urgent PM2.5 order and says schools can close or go online

* Thai political power, the New Alternative Party, floats state matchmaking to fix birth rates

* Chiang Mai puts on show of genuine Japanese sakura in full bloom

* Bangkok PM2.5: Chatuchak highest as pollution levels raise health concerns

* Conditions for a red–blue coalition government deal in Thailand

* Thai Election 2026: five parties lay out competing industrial roadmaps

* Asia's growing economic power shapes global derivatives market

Philippines

* Philippine tennis prodigy and trailblazer Eala exits Australian Open after 'overwhelming' scenes

* China lodges protest to Philippines over coast guard official's remarks

* Philippine president announces new gas find in waters facing the disputed South China Sea

* Gas discovery provides boost to Philippines fast-dwindling reserves

* Marcos faces impeachment over ‘Duterte kidnapping,’ flood control mess

* Duterte ICC case: Philippine National Police says cops free to testify, cooperate

* Oil prices steady as ebbing Iranian protests lower chance of US attack

Delegates attend a preparatory session for the 14th National Party Congress in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Monday, January 19, 2026. Photo: VNA/Reuters

Vietnam

* No phones, pre-set tablets for delegates at Vietnam's Communist Party congress

* Hanoi sets ambitious 10% growth goals at party meet

* Vietnam's Communist Party begins week-long congress to choose leader

* Foreign tourist wraps bananas around body to feed wild monkeys in Danang, Vietnam

* Vibrant events to take place in Hanoi's heritage space to welcome Lunar New Year

* Vietnam's Ca Mau Province dried shrimp producers busy with Tet demand

Myanmar

* A growing income: Myanmar exports over 320,000 tons of fishery products in nine months

* Myanmar's solar market grows with Chinese innovation

* Bangladeshi man held at KLIA with fake work pass

* World markets jolted, dollar dips as Trump vows tariffs on Europe over Greenland

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during a press conference at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo on Monday, January 19, 2026. Takaichi said that she would dissolve parliament this week ahead of a snap election on February 8, hoping for a stronger mandate to push through her ambitious policy agenda. -- Photo by Rodrigo Reyes Marin / AFP

Cambodia

* Over 400 Indonesians 'released' by Cambodian scam networks, confirms ambassador

* Cambodian displacement crisis enters prolonged phase; tens of thousands unable to return home

* Cambodian UN ambassador reiterates Kingdom’s commitment to international law

* Emergency aid targets learning, nutrition of Cambodian children affected hit by border conflict

Laos

* Lao central bank targets financial stability

* Laos accelerates digital transformation for national growth

* Sarawak-owned AirBorneo setting up flights to Peninsula in 2026, South-East Asia routes in 2027

Brunei

* Brunei minister calls for Asean shift towards ‘connected intelligence’

* Universiti Teknologi Brunei launches year-long 40th anniversary celebrations

* Gold, silver hit record highs as Trump-Greenland row sparks safety rally

Tourists walk at Juyongguan section of the Great Wall, on the outskirts of Beijing, China, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. -- AP Photo/Vincent Thian

Aseanplus

* Malaysian PM grateful to all for making Malaysia's Asean chairmanship a success

* 'It's confirmed, we are going for it' - Japan PM calls snap election on Feb 8 to seek stronger mandate

* 12 militants killed in foiled police station siege

* Deadly blaze rips through Karachi shopping mall

* Madani reforms boost ringgit’s value, confidence

* 5.7 magnitude earthquake jolts northwestern parts of Jammu and Kashmir

* Woman arrested in South Korea after allegedly stabbing man 

* FBM KLCI slips on profit-taking as US-EU geopolitical tension escalates

* Foreign funds log second straight week of net inflows of RM716.1mil

* Australia parliament returns with moment of silence for Bondi mass shooting victims

* Electronics and shrimp: Analysts cautious despite India’s export growth to China

* Jepun Untukmu: A Muslim-friendly travel guide to Japan

* China's Q4 GDP growth slows to 3-year low, full-year pace meets official target

* Bitter cold to grip South Korea from Jan 20 onward

* South Korea's Lee, Italy's Meloni agree to strengthen cooperation in AI, chips

* China's wedding dress sellers pin hopes on rise in marriages

* Engineer in India drowns after waiting nearly two hours for rescue as car falls into pit at mall site

* Australian woman wakes up to find 2.5m python on her chest

* China wife sues after discovering late husband’s affair, US$2.8 million transfer to mistress

* Malaysian economy to stay resilient in 2026 on FDI, robust infrastructure investment- HSBC

* Former PM Yoon administration staff linked to alleged North Korea drone intrusion

* Thai van driver charged over fatal crash in Napoh

* Japan households expect prices to keep rising: Survey

* India's Karur stampede probe: Actor Vijay appears before CBI for second round of questioning

* Hong Kong grows role as ‘stopover city’ with new high-speed rail routes to the rest of China

* Over three million S. Koreans opt out of life-sustaining treatment

* China's birth rate drops to record low

* SinggahKL 2026 offers public chance to learn and appreciate Kuala Lumpur's architecture

* Chinese workers slapped with RM1.5mil tax bills after employer fakes high salaries

* Death toll in Pakistan shopping mall fire climbs to 14 with dozens missing

* Kobe’s ‘Hope’ Baby helped people connect with Tohoku, as region recovered from 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake

* 'Kung Fu Hustle' star Bruce Leung dies at 77 / Jackie Chan & Stephen Chow pay tribute to late action star Bruce Leung

* Risking death, Indians mess with the bull at annual Pongal festival

* Chinese husband smashes up home after wife buys dishwasher without his consent

* China set to keep rates steady for eighth month, some traders wager on Q1 easing

* From Pakistan: A closer look at the deepening China–Malaysia partnership

* Nine killed as school bus overturns near India's Chhattisgarh–Jharkhand border, safety lapses under scrutiny

* Brazil-China trade hits record US$171bil in 2025 as US tariffs prompt export pivot