Asean News Headlines at 10pm on Wednesday (March 18, 2026)

Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, left, meets Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at a bilateral meeting in Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. -- Kim Kyung-Hoon/Pool Photo via AP

Malaysia

* Court strikes out Waytha Moorthy's suit against Anwar, awards RM80,000 in costs

* Man nabbed over alleged rape of minor at Muar hotel

* Man, 24, claims trial to reckless driving involving six other vehicles

* LHDN: No need to amend personal tax forms over 'borne by employer' error

* The cat in songket: Iconic Kuching statue decked out for Raya to reflect harmony

* Father watches in horror as son taken in Kinabatangan croc attack

* Motorcyclist dies after being run over by lorry in Hulu Selangor

* Eye on offenders: Works Ministry shares locations of cameras on NSE, urges safe road use

* MUCM vice-chancellor, two others acquitted of charge under Comms Act

* Youth charged with murdering woman in JB hotel room

* Cops: Baby at hospital's childcare centre died of suffocation

* DAP leaders criticise Kula over meeting with activist Arun before court hearing

* Negri Sembilan cancels state-level Hari Raya open house

* Sabah police mulling K9 units at KKIA to sniff out drug smuggling

* Najib applies leave to appeal over dismissal of RM1.9mil suit against Tommy Thomas

* Body of man snatched by crocodile found in Kinabatangan

* Budi95: RON95 subsidised price maintained at RM1.99, says Finance Ministry

* DAP leaders criticise Kula over meeting with activist Arun before court hearing

* Over 2,300 Civil Defence personnel deployed nationwide for Aidilfitri travel safety

Travellers wait for the buses to their hometowns ahead of Eid al-Fitr (Hari Raya) holiday that marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, at a bus terminal in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, March 18, 2026. -- AP Photo/Dita Alangkara

Singapore

* Man charged with harbouring 10 women for prostitution, absconding from Singapore

* Singapore wants empty bottles back to reduce plastic waste; even offers cash for goods to boost recycling rate

* Penny stock crash masterminds John Soh and Quah Su-Ling fail in bid to reduce jail sentences

* Singaporean man who fled to Thailand while on bail for alleged vice-related offences to be charged

* Man charged with harbouring 10 women for prostitution, absconding from Singapore

* UN maritime body kicks off emergency talks on Mideast shipping

* Man in remand after absconding in assault case, earlier jailed over post on then Singapore President Halimah

* Ringgit hits strongest level versus Singapore dollar since 2021

* Asian stocks rally as oil retreats, Fed in spotlight

* Slower February growth in Singapore key exports

* Airlines cancel more flights as Middle East conflict escalates

Indonesia

* A new US trade deal with Indonesia secures fossil fuels and access to critical minerals

* Garuda Indonesia's loss widens as scheduled airline sales slip due to chaos in the Middle East

* Appellate court upholds life imprisonment, 12 strokes imposed on Indonesian for meth trafficking

* Indonesia arrests four military officers allegedly involved in acid attack on activist

* Indonesia says international flights continue, denies suspension reports

* Three Europeans detained for producing indecent film

* ‘Horrific’ attack on Indonesian rights defender a litmus test for Prabowo administration

A man stands on a fishing boat docked at a pier in Si Racha on March 18, 2026. Fishermen in Thailand benefit from tax-exempt diesel, known as green oil, which costs less than 20 baht ($0.60) per litre before the war broke out in the Middle East on February 28. It now costs 35 baht and is increasingly hard to find, with boats of hundreds of fishers stuck at the dock because of surging diesel prices. -- Photo by Chanakarn LAOSARAKHAM / AFP

Thailand:

* Thai pension fund needs reform and hits risk limit on selloff

* Thai petrol queues lengthen as price cap expires

* Malaysians urged to postpone travel to southern Thailand due to fuel shortages

* Hot weather persists as thundershowers approach, with heavier rain in Bangkok

* Thai court accepts petition challenging legality of election ballots

* Man arrested in Thailand after trespassing into viral hippo Moo Deng’s enclosure

Philippines:

* Philippines' Marcos puts brakes on transport fare hike

* 'China will not restrict fertiliser exports to the Philippines, ' Manila says as it is also in talks with Russia

* Two Philippine gas stations charged over profiteering amid West Asia conflict

* Philippines: Nation battles soaring fuel costs

* Philippines' House panel finds grounds for VP Sara Duterte’s impeachment sufficient

* Oil prices ease as Iraqi and Kurdish authorities agree to export deal

Faithful from Vietnam wait for Pope Leo XIV before the weekly general audience at St Peter's Square in the Vatican on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. -- Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP

Vietnam:

* Vietnam's Da Nang fireworks festival 2026 to ignite summer tourism boom in the country 

* Vietnam faces falling oil production as the Iran war disrupts global supplies

* Two dead from gas asphyxiation in Vietnam cargo ship hold

* Dong Nai border gate receives 344 Vietnamese returnees from Cambodia

* US is quickly exhausting tools to absorb Iran war oil shock

* MVC's Envacgen granted the first enterovirus A71 vaccine marketing authorization in Vietnam

Myanmar

* Myanmar imposes a 5% special goods tax on imported electric vehicles 

* Ukraine seeks release the of citizens arrested in India over alleged Myanmar drone activity

* Parliament meets for the first time in five years

* U Aung Lin Dwe elected new speaker of Myanmar's upper house

* Pope Leo calls universal healthcare a 'moral imperative'

Hindu devotees carry effigies called - ogoh-ogoh - symbolising an evil spirit, during a parade on the eve of Nyepi, the Day of Silence that marks the New Year in the Balinese Hindu calendar, in Denpasar, Bali, on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. -- Photo by Sonny TUMBELAKA / AFP

Cambodia:

* Cambodia turns to Malaysia and Singapore for fuel as Vietnam and China restrict supplies

* Cambodia out to prove its not making up the numbers as coach Gyotoku eyes semis at the 2026 Asean Hyundai Cup

* Cambodia's Prey Lang activists awarded for natural resource protection

* 19 Chinese detained in raid on Cambodia's Chbar Ampov scam centre

Laos

* Laos moves forward in promoting child health through community engagement

* Long lines at the pumps in Vientiane

* Lao-Thai relations strengthened through royal state visit to Laos

Brunei

* Brunei intensifies promotion of culture, nature and adventure tourism and diversifies its economy

* Over BND543mil budget allocated to advancing Brunei Vision 2035

* Brunei recognises obesity as non-communicable disease

A man stands next to a poster showing robots mimicking human expressions from Shenzhen Xiaoquan Technology during the International AI Application and Robotics Innovation Exhibition in Beijing on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. -- Photo by ADEK BERRY / AFP

AseanPlus:

* Authorities seize illegal timber worth millions in Sook, Sabah

* US Navy ships' Penang stop a routine logistics call, says Defence Minister

* Global funds look to Malaysia as Iran war shakes up Asian assets

* DPM Fadillah appears in new Raya short film alongside Anna Jobling

* Nepal: Transgender woman joins parliament in historic first

* New Zealand to tighten immigration rules amid crime concerns

* US securities regulator issues long-awaited crypto guidance

* Sri Lanka asks electric vehicle owners to unplug at night

* Eight dead in roof collapse at welfare payment site

* Four-day work week announced to conserve fuel reserves

* Nichkhun of K-pop boy band 2PM stalked by woman near his house

* Explainer-How Trump's Hormuz push tests Japan's pacifist limits

* Macau woman hospitalised after being startled by humanoid robot

* Trump says Japan support to secure Strait of Hormuz no longer needed

* Scammers impersonate Hong Kong lawmaker to defraud woman of HK$38,000

* Australia says Iranian projectile hits UAE airbase, all personnel safe

* India denies discussing release of tankers with Iran for Hormuz passage

* Samsung Elec and AMD sign MoU on AI memory, explore foundry partnership

* Hong Kong travel agencies suspend Middle East tours over safety concerns

* Chinese university tells students to ‘fall in love’ during spring break

* UN agency puts death toll at 143 in Kabul rehab centre bombing by Pakistan

* Washington signals it wants China kept out of Brazil’s largest port auction

* How China is beating the US in new weapons race with a fraction of the budget

* Australia to convene state leaders’ meeting as fuel shortages hit rural areas

* Hong Kong cannot extradite Tates without UK or Romania requests, lawmakers say

* Beauty queen and former 'Big Brother' champ Taylor Hale is Playboy's Miss March

* Japan sets February record for inbound tourists with nearly 3.5 million visitors

* Mother of Gen Z martyr nominated to Nepali Parliament, vows to fight for justice

* Chaos and tragedy at Kabul rehab facility / * Kabul hospital strike kills hundreds

* 'This is one sweet heist': 15 tonnes of gummies stolen from a lorry parked neat motorway

* China ‘in communication’ with US after Trump flags request to delay trip by ‘month or so’

* China girl, 12, uses lai see money to buy shop, paying mum US$440 salary to run it for her

* Seven killed in residential building fire caused by gas cylinder explosion in India's Madhya Pradesh

* Kerala Court finds accused teacher in Dr Vandana Das murder case guilty; sentencing on Thursday (March 19)

* Badminton -- Dream draw for Thomas Cup, but Rexy wants focus

* Hockey -- Sarjit out as Brendan takes over as chief in hockey shake-up

* Soccer -Japan crushes South Korea to set up Asian Cup final showdown with Australia