South Korean killer’s escape foiled, Singapore minister’s Mandarin speech: 7 Asia highlights

We have selected seven stories from the SCMP’s coverage of Asia over the past week that resonated with our readers and shed light on topical issues. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.1. South Korean killer’s drone escape from Philippine prison foiled by test footagePark Wang-yeol pictured at Incheon International Airport in March during his temporary extradition to South Korea on drug charges. Photo: The Korea TimesA South Korean crime lord convicted of murder in the Philippines reportedly planned to escape prison by strapping himself to a drone – until his own accomplice’s rehearsal footage gave the game away.2. Why the ICC is cracking down on ‘fake news’ as Duterte trial loomsAs Rodrigo Duterte’s crimes-against-humanity trial looms, an international tribunal faces the challenge of managing a sprawling prosecution case around the health of an 81-year-old former president of the Philippines, on top of shielding the proceedings from a highly charged media environment.3. Singapore minister Chan Chun Sing’s Mandarin diplomacy strikes China chordSingapore’s Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing attends a plenary session at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum on Wednesday. Photo: ReutersSingapore Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing’s use of Mandarin and Chinese philosophy in his speech at a major security forum in Beijing has won him praise on Chinese social media, while shedding light on how cultural familiarity and language can be diplomatic tools for the city state.4. Malaysia’s Loke resigns as minister following Najib’s house arrest approvalA senior ally of Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim announced his resignation from cabinet on Saturday – a day after confidence in the prime minister’s administration took a severe hit when disgraced former leader Najib Razak was allowed to serve out his jail term under house arrest.5. Who will shoulder the debts behind Indonesia’s China-backed Whoosh railway?The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train, known as Whoosh, during a public trial in Bandung, West Java, in September 2023. Photo: AFPIndonesia’s finance ministry is preparing to absorb debt payments for Whoosh, the China-funded high-speed railway connecting Jakarta and Bandung, in a move officials say will ease financial pressure on the state-owned enterprises that built and operate the line.6. ‘Gone too far’: Thai PM Anutin slams foreign lawbreakers as backlash buildsPrime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has issued a withering rebuke to foreigners behaving badly in Thailand following a wave of scandals involving illegal businesses and landholdings including a cemetery, saying the cases have “gone too far” by breaching Thai law and hospitality.7. Crouching dragons: the suicide divers Japan never sent to warThe remains of a military base where “fukuryu” were trained can be seen in the cliffs along the coast of Inamuragasaki, on the Shonan coast south of Tokyo. Photo: Kanade HamamotoJapan’s wartime kamikaze pilots remain among the most recognisable symbols of the Pacific war: young men flying aircraft into Allied ships on missions from which they were not expected to return.Further Reading