Guan Eng's views on migrants normalise 'ketuanan' dogma
- Singaporean social worker Suraendher Kumarr on a sinkhole incident
COMMENT | The quote that opens this piece is in reference to a news story about a group of migrant workers who rescued a woman in a sinkhole in Singapore.
As the BBC piece elaborates, this ignited a debate about how migrant workers in Singapore are treated.
In Malaysia, former finance minister Lim Guan Eng claimed that there was no need for a minimum wage or Employees Provident Fund (EPF) for existing migrant workers.
In response, former Klang MP Charles Santiago reminded Lim that...
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New Straits Times
8 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Taiwan simulation reveals Singapore as lifeline
THE exercise presented a fraught scenario: China's military had blockaded Taiwan by air and sea, and Southeast Asian countries were grappling with how to evacuate as many as one million of their nationals trapped on the besieged island. Over two days in April at a Singapore hotel, some 40 participants and observers in the war game, including serving and retired Asia-Pacific officials and military officers, as well as security scholars, simulated their responses to the unfolding crisis, according to four people familiar with the discussions. Hours ticked by as some players weighed unified action through Asean, while others reached out to the mock United States, Chinese and Japanese delegates to negotiate special air and sea corridors to extract foreign nationals. Eventually, the people said, a stark conclusion emerged: Southeast Asian states needed a Singaporean airlift to have a chance of evacuating their people. "Nothing was moving until the Singaporeans stepped in at the 11th hour," said one participant in the event at the Jen Singapore Tanglin hotel. "They had found a way of getting their own people out, and offered to get others out, too." Reflecting its discreet and decades-old security presence inside Taiwan, where its forces train, Singapore was able to leverage access to airfields and aircraft, said the person. But the exercise ended before any detailed discussion of how Singapore had reached a deal with China to secure an evacuation route through the blockade, or how precisely it would work, said three of the people. Southeast Asians account for about 94 per cent of the almost one million foreign residents in Taiwan, according to Taiwan's National Immigration Agency. Indonesians, Vietnamese and Filipinos make up the vast majority of those foreigners, with comparatively small numbers of Japanese and Americans. Singapore's Defence Ministry said it wasn't involved in the "workshop" and none of its officials attended in any capacity. China's Foreign Ministry said it wasn't aware of the circumstances of the exercise. The London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, which organised the exercise, said participants had attended in their private capacities, and that it could not comment on "discussions, attendees, or any other elements". Drew Thompson, a Singapore-based security scholar, said it was vital for Southeast Asian countries to move beyond war games and contingency discussions to build meaningful, unofficial ties with Taiwan, particularly its military. These countries have diplomatic ties with Beijing and don't officially recognise Taipei. "The big takeaway here is that a plan is one thing but you need the access and the relationships to put it into play," said Thompson, of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, who wasn't involved in the exercise. "Singapore has long had these ties, the Philippines is building them, but it remains an open question whether the other countries in Southeast Asia have the unofficial networks in place to meaningfully engage with Taiwan in a conflict." Given recent drills in which Chinese vessels encircled Taiwan, some military attaches and analysts say any attempt by Beijing to seize the island could start with a blockade, which would be considered an act of war under international law. The risks are felt acutely in Singapore, a financial and shipping hub that hosts US Navy ships and surveillance aircraft yet maintains strong cultural, diplomatic and economic ties with China. Singaporean forces have conducted military training in Taiwan since 1975, under an arrangement known as Project Starlight. The presence is seldom publicly acknowledged by officials in Singapore, which does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. But it remains important to Singapore's defence forces, according to seven diplomats and security scholars familiar with the matter. Singapore rotates up to 3,000 infantry troops and commandos annually through three training camps in southern Taiwan, according to five of the seven people. Singapore's forces also train regularly in Australia, France, Brunei and the US. Yet an outbreak of war in Taiwan could trap Singapore's forces there or render them bargaining chips that could give China military and diplomatic leverage over Singapore, according to some analysts and military attaches. The writers are from Reuters
The Star
8 hours ago
- The Star
Asean News Headlines at 10pm on Monday (Aug 11, 2025)
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Garuda is scheduled to report second-quarter results on Aug. 13. -- Photographer: Dimas Ardian/Bloomberg Singapore: * Four Malaysians among 79 arrested in island-wide drug bust in Singapore * Singapore can deliver and thrive in a fragmented global economy: Morgan Stanley analysts * Singapore: Lower-wage retail workers to receive up to 6% pay bump from Sept 1 * Singapore govt asks inactive political parties including Barisan Sosialis for proof of existence * Almost 100,000 Malaysians have renounced citizenship for Singapore's since 2015, says Home Ministry * Hyflux issued preference shares to fund Tuaspring as it had problems getting bank loans: Prosecution * Singapore-based cancer biotech firm Hummingbird Bioscience to target inflammatory diseases with precision drugs * Singaporean actress Michelle Chia marries 41YO boyfriend before 50th birthday Indonesia: * Indonesia expands military as defence budget soars / Massive TNI restructuring prompts militarisation, budget concerns * Islamic court in Indonesia's Aceh sentences two men to public caning over sexual acts * Indonesia's Mt Rinjani reopens hiking trails with stricter safety measures after several mishap incidents * Indonesian star Kris Dayanti, 50, pursues university studies: 'No such thing as too late' * Semarang cop gets 15 years in prison for fatally shooting teen * Indonesia eyes 'sovereign AI fund' to drive development, document shows * Scientists find possible artefacts of oldest known Wallacean hominids in Indonesia In this photo, taken from video and provided by the Philippine Coast Guard, a damaged Chinese Coast Guard ship is seen after accidentally colliding with a Chinese Navy vessel while chasing a Philippine fisheries boat near Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. -- Photo: Philippine Coast Guard via AP Thailand: * Thailand to compensate Malaysian victims of Bangkok fire attack / Families urge Thailand to transfer Malaysian burn victims * Thai soldiers injured in landmine blast near the Cambodia border, confirms govt * Thai users top Asia and rank second globally for TikTok use, says We Are Social * Thai asset rally set to extend on tariff relief and steady foreign inflows * Thailand files Ottawa Convention complaints over Cambodian landmine incidents * Chinese EV makers vie for Indonesia, Thailand sales; Japanese rivals fear market share loss Philippines: * Marcos says Philippines would be dragged 'kicking and screaming' into Taiwan war * Chinese vessels collide while pursuing Philippine boat in South China Sea: Manila * Marcos: 64% of flood-control projects lack clear descriptions * Philippine central bank signals August rate cut * Emerging Markets - Asian currencies steady with US data, China tariff deadline in focus * Deepfakes stir Duterte controversy - Days after the Philippine Senate declined to launch the impeachment trial To Lam, Vietnam's Communist Party general secretary, attends an event at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea, on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. Lam is the first foreign leader to visit South Korea since Lee Jae Myung took office in early June, a trip Lee described as a demonstration of Vietnam's strategic importance to South Korea. -- Photographer: SeongJoon Cho / Bloomberg Vietnam: * Vietnam's durian featured at first Asean–China Durian Festival * Vietnam naval ship departs for Asean multilateral exercise in Penang * Trump says he hopes China buys four times as much US soybeans * Can Tesla, VinFast and other foreign EV firms thrive in the Indian market? * South Korea, Vietnam leaders pledge closer ties as US tariffs shake up trade * Exclusive-Fistful of dollars and rice for Vietnam farmers displaced for $1.5 billion Trump golf club Myanmar: * 'Dormant bombs': unique genes that make us smart may also fuel cancer, China study shows * Myanmar ethnic group vows to block elections in its enclave * LMC-funded solar power supply project completed in Myanmar's Ayeyarwady region * Man found dead with wrists tied to fence post on riverbank in Myanmar's Mon State Journalists take photographs inside the newly built Techo International Airport in Cambodia's Kandal province on Monday, August 11, 2025. -- Photo by TANG CHHIN Sothy / AFP Cambodia: * 'Cheap shots': Cambodia slams Thailand for 'blatant ceasefire violations' including border patrols and slingshot attacks * Why Cambodia's scam crackdown is unlikely to target masterminds * Thai-Cambodian border calm, many areas safe for return: Official * Thais struck north-western Cambodian province with heavy ordnance over 1,500 times: CMAC Laos: * A Lao women dies during Thailand-Cambodia border conflict, confirms Thai and Laos govts * Scenic Ngoy district steps up competition for Luang Prabang tourists * Japan donates 1.5 billion yen in high-tech road maintenance equipment to boost Lao infrastructure Brunei: * Brunei's huge Muara Port expansion project to be completed by 2027 * Youth PhotoWalk in Brunei marks International Photography Day * Yayang 'meows' her way into the judges' hearts in Brunei A vehicle advances through a flooded road in Kumamoto, southern Japan, on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. - Photo: Kyodo News via AP AseanPlus: * Malaysia urges nuclear-weapon states to sign, ratify SEANWFZ protocol, says DPM Fadillah * Johor is first state to implement mobile app to distribute subsidised cooking oil * Malaysians more upbeat on ageing, survey finds * Revelot releases 'durian' watch in tribute to the King of Fruits * Malaysia hosts Asean-China meetings on South China Sea in Kuching * Bangladesh keen on Proton's investment in car manufacturing * Malaysian singer Atilia Haron lives life with clarity and creativity * JC3 to develop Malaysian taxonomy on sustainable finance aligning with Asean taxonomy * Torrential rains in southern Japan cause flooding, mudslides, and travel disruptions * Nearly 1.8 million tourists from China visited Malaysia in first five months of 2025 * Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's group threatens to 'kill' anyone working with Salman Khan * Several people are missing in southwestern Japan as heavy rain continues to lash the province * China's exports defy trade war headwinds in July as growth surges to 7.2% * Bangladesh to procure 40,000 body cameras ahead of general election * Gold slips 1% as investors focus on US-Russia talks on Ukraine * 'My boss raped me': Japanese prosecutor fights for justice * Indian police arrest fake police running 'crime bureau' * New Zealand PM doesn't expect to win US tariff reprieve * Taiwanese heartthrob Greg Hsu completes military service, fans rejoice * Australia plans to recognise Palestinian state within days, Sydney Morning Herald reports * Rahul Gandhi among opposition leaders detained during protest against India election panel * Cow dung to drive cars 5,500km in India without causing pollution * Cricket for all rolls out in Bhutan's monasteries * North Korea warns of reprisal against South Korea-US drills amid signs of tensions easing * Three million South Koreans sign refusal of life-prolonging treatment * Tourist spots in S. 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Malaysiakini
9 hours ago
- Malaysiakini
DAP MP urges Putrajaya to rethink new EPF mechanism plan
PARLIAMENT | A Pakatan Harapan representative has urged Putrajaya to rethink its plan to introduce a new payout system for the Employees Provident Fund (EPF). Cha Kee Chin (Harapan-Rasah) said the idea being proposed under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) has received strong pushback from the rakyat.
