Singha beer dynasty scandal, Malaysia’s sunken missile deal: 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. Did US restrictions sink Malaysia’s US$147 million Norway missile deal?Norway’s revocation of export licences for a naval missile system sold to Malaysia has thrust into sharp relief the United States’ ability to kill an arms deal between two other sovereign nations simply by restricting components its own industries supplied.2. How Singapore’s weaponised drone trials could fuel Southeast Asian tensionsA US Navy drone parks beside a Philippine C130 plane at the airport of Zamboanga, southern Philippines last year. Photo: APSingapore’s plan to trial weaponised unmanned drones has put a spotlight on Southeast Asia’s fast-growing interest in systems that can track and strike at targets without putting operators directly in harm’s way.3. Thailand’s Singha beer dynasty rocked by sexual abuse allegationsThe Singha and Leo brands of the Bhirombhakdi family’s Boon Rawd Brewery account for roughly two-thirds of Thailand’s beer market. Photo: ShutterstockAllegations of sexual assault by an heir to a beer fortune against his own older brother have thrust one of Thailand’s richest families into an uncomfortable spotlight, stunning a public unaccustomed to seeing prominent households air their affairs in public.4. US tech supply chain hub tackling China hits Philippine sovereignty wallA US plan to build an “AI-native” industrial hub in the Philippines has highlighted the political sensitivities around Washington’s push to secure critical technology supply chains, after Manila rejected proposals for the zone to be governed by US laws or covered by diplomatic protections.5. Badly behaving visitors push Thailand to remove 60-day visa entryTourists visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok. Thailand has announced the removal of the 60-day visa-free entry for tourists. Photo: Peerapon Boonyakiat/SOPA ImagesAfter months of warnings, Thailand on May 19 announced the cancellation of its 60-day visa-free entry rules for 93 countries and territories in a bid to curb crime, antisocial behaviour and abuse of the visa privilege by a portion of the tens of millions of tourists who have visited the kingdom annually.6. Spoiler alert: why Malaysia’s Anwar should be wary of Rafizi’s Bersama partyFormer Malaysian economy minister Rafizi Ramli’s breakaway gamble is unlikely to bring down Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on its own, analysts say, but it could still wound the ruling coalition by peeling away reformist voters who helped Pakatan Harapan (PH) take power in 2022.7. India’s US$9 billion island megaport sharpens China’s ‘Malacca dilemma’A coastline at Campbell Bay in Great Nicobar Island. India is planning a US$9 billion megaport, airport and city on the remote island. Photo: AFPOn Great Nicobar, a remote island located closer to Indonesia than mainland India, New Delhi is embarking on one of its biggest developments in decades. The US$9 billion project is intended to transform the country’s southernmost tip into a major transport hub comprising a transhipment port, an international airport and associated logistical facilities.Further Reading