Top News Headlines In Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand & Vietnam: May 29, 2025
Deputy Trade Minister Dyah Roro Esti met with the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) president to discuss strategic research collaboration to strengthen ASEAN's response to US tariff impacts. During a meeting with ERIA President Tetsuya Watanabe in Jakarta, Tuesday, she discussed a research proposal for ERIA to conduct a comprehensive and multidimensional analysis of the US tariff policy issue.
1. CENTRAL BANK ENTERS TO STABLISE CURRENCY -- THE GLOBAL NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR
The Central Bank of Myanmar announced that it would sell RM128 million (US$30 million) to fuel oil imports. The central bank aims to curb instability in the foreign exchange market and currency devaluation.
1. EYE DISEASE PATIENTS ON THE RISE -- THE GLOBAL NEW LIGHT OF MYANMAR
Nearly 20,000 people with eye disorder sought treatment during the 12th round of eyesight donation at the Sitagu Cakku Dana Hospital in Yangon. Over 4,000 underwent surgery and about 250 received laser treatment.
SINGAPORE
1. FIRST TRANCHE OF GE2025 CANDIDATE EXPENSES PUBLISHED, WITH HIGHEST SPENDING BEING OVER $100,000 -- THE STRAITS TIMES
A total of 35 candidates who contested the May 3 General Election have declared their election expenses so far, with their combined spending coming up to $884,978.
2. US TRADE COURT BLOCKS TRUMP'S 'LIBERATION DAY' TARIFFS -- CNA/REUTER
A United States trade court on Wednesday (May 28) blocked President Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs from going into effect, ruling that the president overstepped his authority by imposing across-the-board duties on imports from nations that sell more to the US than they buy.
THAILAND
1. CENTRAL BANK RECOMMENDS USING STIMULUS FUND TO SUPPORT EXPORTERS AMID TRADE CHALLENGES -- THE NATION
The Bank of Thailand (BOT) has urged the government to prioritize the recently approved 157-billion-baht economic stimulus fund toward supporting exporters and domestic manufacturers facing mounting challenges from intensified import flooding and global trade tensions.
2. AIIB KEEN ON LAND BRIDGE INVESTMENT -- BANGKOK POST
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has expressed interest in investing in Thailand's Land Bridge project, describing it as beneficial for both Southeast Asia and East Asia, according to Deputy Finance Minister Julapun Amornvivat.
VIETNAM
1. SKILLED WORKFORCE SHORTAGE TO PROPEL E-COMMERCE -- VIETNAMPLUS
The rising e-commerce sector needs skilled workers to drive further growth. Last year the market was valued at RM106 billion (US$25 billion). According to authorities, the professional workforce for e-commerce was lacking and weak.
2. HUNGARY TO SUPPORT REMOVAL OF IUU 'YELLOW CARD' -- VIETNAMPLUS
Hungarian President Sulyok Tamas, during his visit to Vietnam, said he will ask the European Commission to lift its "yellow card" regulation related to illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing against Vietnam's seafood exports. A move to enhance bilateral trade with Vietnam.
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The Star
24 minutes ago
- The Star
Prabowo reconciles with opposition through pardons
JAKARTA: President Prabowo Subianto has taken a major stride to reconcile with two convicted opposition figures by granting them clemency and eliminating their prison sentences, a move widely seen as an effort to curb dissent and stabilise his first term in office. In an unexpected move, Prabowo submitted a request with the House of Representatives requesting abolition for former trade minister Thomas Lembong as well as amnesty for 1,116 convicts, including Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) secretary-general Hasto Kritiyanto. Thomas was sentenced for 4.5 years in prison after the court found him guilty in a corruption case pertaining to raw sugar import. Meanwhile, the Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced Hasto last week to 3.5 years in prison over bribery pertaining to a 2019 legislative seat appointment scheme. House Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad and Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas, both from Prabowo's Gerindra Party, announced on Thursday (July 31) night that the legislature approved the proposal following consultations between the government and House party factions. Supratman confirmed that he initiated both clemency requests, citing 'national interest, political unity and the individuals' past contributions' to the country. 'This is about thinking in terms of the republic. Both individuals have demonstrated service to the nation, and the priority now is to strengthen our cohesion,' he told reporters during the briefing at the Senayan legislative complex in Jakarta. Deputy State Secretary Juri Ardiantoro reiterated national unity as the motivation behind the decision: 'If we want to move forward, it must be together through mutual cooperation.' He dismissed notions that Prabowo was seeking to interfere with the legal process, stressing that all Indonesian citizens are entitled to equal treatment under the law. Analysts called Prabowo's clemency for Thomas and Hasto a politicization of the justice system, warning that the decision risks eroding judicial independence and weakening Indonesia's anticorruption efforts. Constitutional law expert Bivitri Susanti slammed the move as a form of 'legal politicisation' with legal matters being settled through political means. She warned that such actions could undermine the rule of law. 'It may appear to solve problems for [Thomas and Hasto] as well as their supporters. But this is still political interference. It could create a dangerous precedent for antigraft efforts,' Bivitri said. She added that normal legal avenues, including appealing the court verdict, were still available, as legal teams of both convicts indicated that they had planned to file a petition with the appellate court. Lawyers of both convicts welcomed Prabowo's decision to give their clients pardons. Hasto's legal representative Ronny Talapessy insisted that the case was 'politically charged since the beginning', while Thomas' legal team said that the abolition should not be seen as 'acknowledging wrongdoing'. Both Thomas and Hasto's camps claimed both cases were politically motivated and driven by their criticism toward former president Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, who tacitly backed Prabowo in last year's election. Thomas served as a co-captain of failed presidential candidate Anies Baswedan's campaign in the 2024 election. Meanwhile, PDI-P, the only de facto opposition party in the legislature, has repeatedly said the probe into Hasto was an effort to target him for being critical to Jokowi, a former member of the nationalist party. With both convicts pardoned, analysts see the chance of a strong opposition emerging against Prabowo's administration growing slim, as an amnesty for Hasto may influence how PDI-P may decide its stance towards Prabowo's administration. Political analyst Kennedy Muslim from Indikator Politik said the move was 'part of Prabowo's natural inclination to build a giant coalition' to 'balance power among parties so that none become too dominant, except for the President himself.' 'It's a small price to pay compared to giving PDI-P a clear 'brand' as an opposition party for the next four years,' Kennedy said. 'They are poised to reap the political benefits should Prabowo's administration underperform.' Prabowo might also be trying to ease political friction and maintain stability as well as cooperation between the government and opposition-leaning forces, said Arya Fernandes of Jakarta-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). An expected political reconciliation following the pardon suggests legal proceedings will be used as leverage in elite political negotiations, a trend which developed during Jokowi's administration and now persists under Prabowo, according to Ian Wilson, a senior fellow at the Indo-Pacific Research Centre at Murdoch University in Australia. 'It less sets a precedent than constitutes a continuation of the political weaponization of corruption charges seen in the previous administration,' Wilson told The Jakarta Post. He suggested the pardon had shifted the country's political landscape, pointing out PDI-P chair Megawati Soekarnoputri's call for members during a party event on Wednesday to back Prabowo's government for 'stability', despite the party having yet to take an official stance towards the administration. 'Pressure will now be on Anies to do something similar,' Wilson said, 'and abandon his opposition movement-building efforts such as through mass organisation.' Senior PDI-P politician Said Abdullah denied claims that the recent amnesty for Hasto was part of a political deal, stressing that such practices did not align with the party's principles. 'There was absolutely nothing transactional about it,' Said told reporters. 'Let's not jump to such conclusions. It's not in the character of our party, let alone Ibu Megawati.' - The Jakarta Post/ANN
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Mexican walks free, acquitted after 20 years behind bars
ALMOLOYA DE JUÁREZ, MEXICO: A Mexican man walked free after nearly 20 years behind bars Friday, finally acquitted in a case that strained relations with France and became emblematic of delayed justice in the Latin American country. Israel Vallarta had been held in preventive custody since his 2005 arrest alongside his former girlfriend Florence Cassez, a French woman who was freed in 2013. 'I'm still in shock,' Vallarta said as he emerged from the federal prison in Almoloya de Juarez in Mexico State, embracing his family. 'It's been almost 20 years, there is no justice,' his wife Mary Sainz told AFP. Vallarta was accused of running a kidnapping gang known as the Zodiacs, while Cassez was alleged to be involved in its activities. Mexican television showed video of police storming a ranch near Mexico City on December 9, 2005, where they detained Cassez and freed three hostages as cameras rolled. Interviewed on the spot, the slight, red-haired woman looked surprised as she said: 'I have nothing to do with this. I'm not his wife. I didn't know anything!' It was later revealed Cassez had actually been arrested on a road hours before the raid, and police said the re-enactment was made at the request of the media. In 2013, Mexico's Supreme Court ordered Cassez released, citing violations of her civil rights in the staging of her arrest on live television. The case generated a diplomatic spat with France and became a symbol of the problematic justice system of Mexico, where many crimes go unsolved and authorities are frequently accused of corruption and abuse. Former president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador had cited the case as justification for his controversial justice reform that saw Mexico become the only country in the world to elect its judges at all levels -- a move he claimed would root out corruption and impunity. According to Cassez's account of her arrest, she was captured on a highway in southern Mexico City and later taken to a ranch where her arrest was simulated before the cameras of various media outlets. At the time, the authorities reported that three kidnapping victims were freed in the operation: an 11-year-old boy, a woman, and a man. Two decades later, Interior Minister Rosa Icela Rodriguez announced that Vallarta had been acquitted by a court on Thursday. President Claudia Sheinbaum referred to the case during her usual morning press conference Friday as a 'televised setup.' - AFP
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Prabowo clears path for clemency
THE country is set to begin releasing hundreds of inmates from its notoriously overcrowded prisons after parliament approved the first stage of President Prabowo Subianto's (pic) wide-ranging clemency plan. The first group of 1,116 will begin leaving prisons next week and includes prominent rivals of previous president Joko Widodo who were jailed during his term, as well as Papuan independence activists. House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad and Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas made the announcement late Thursday after a consultation between the government and party factions in the legislature. Prabowo surprised the nation barely two months after he took office in October when he said he planned to grant clemency to 44,000 inmates nationwide. Past Indonesian leaders have rarely used their amnesty powers, which require the approval of parliament. Analysts have cautiously welcomed Prabowo's sweeping plan, which could see the release of thousands of inmates and Supratman said would prioritise political prisoners and inmates with mental and chronic health illnesses, older people, juveniles and those convicted of blasphemy or insulting the country's leader. Among the prisoners set to be released are several prominent opposition figures, including Hasto Kristiyanto, secretary-general of the country's only formal opposition party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle. Kristiyanto, a former Joko ally who turned to harshly criticise the former president and his family, was sentenced last week to three-and-a-half years in prison for bribery in a 2019 legislative seat appointment scheme. Supratman said parliament also approved an end to criminal proceedings against former trade minister Tom Lembong, a onetime Joko ally who broke with him during the 2024 presidential election to support political rival Anies Baswedan. Tom was sentenced to more than four years and had been preparing to appeal before Prabowo proposed him for clemency. 'Both have demonstrated service to the nation, and our priority now is to strengthen the unity of the nation,' Supratman said. The group also includes six Papuan independence activists serving prison sentences for treason. Supratman said they were released as the government considers their movement unarmed. Authorities are expected to submit a second list of 1,668 inmates to parliament in the near future, he added. Azmi Syahputra, a state law analyst from Trisakti University, urged Prabowo to explain his decision in granting amnesty and abolition, especially for Tom and Hasto, who are high-profile politicians convicted in graft cases he said cannot be forgiven by the public. 'Amnesty and abolition are absolute powers held by the president, but people are owed an explanation,' Azmi said. 'Failure to fully explain the reasons will raise questions in the public sphere that could have widespread negative consequences if not addressed comprehensively.' The move could be interpreted by the public as a political agreement between the executive and legislative branches to relieve criminal liability rather than improve law enforcement, he said. 'This measure is used to free high-profile figures from a sentence currently being served for certain political interest,' Azmi added. A political analyst from Diponegoro University, Mohammad Rosyidin, viewed the clemency plan in the context of rights group's criticism of Prabowo, a former general with ties to the country's dictatorial past who is linked to alleged human rights abuses. 'President Prabowo's amnesty plan could be a step to dispel these perceptions and turn him as pro-democracy and a defender of human rights,' Mohammad said. Since taking office in October, Prabowo's administration has moved to repatriate several high-profile foreign inmates, all sentenced to death or life in prison for drug offenses, back to their home countries. Serge Atlaoui, an ailing Frenchman, returned to France in February after Jakarta and Paris agreed to repatriate him on 'humanitarian grounds'. Indonesia took Mary Jane Veloso, who was sentenced to death for drug trafficking in 2010, off death row and returned her to the Philippines in December. In the same month, the government sent to Australia the five remaining members of a drug ring known as the 'Bali Nine'. — AP
