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December 26, 2024
 

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David Chew
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 13, 2002
Malaysia's security law loses some of its Draconian bite
KUALA LUMPUR -- The focus of attention surrounding a controversial Malaysian security law has shifted to Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi after the country's highest court allowed an appeal of five opposition detainees in a dramatic decision last Friday. The legislation allows detention of suspects,...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 16, 2002
Ethnic Chinese dilemma
SINGAPORE -- In a new twist to an ongoing controversy surrounding a proposal to change Malaysia's education policy, the two main Chinese components of the ruling National Front (NF) coalition government, have found themselves taking the same position as the opposition parties. This places the Malaysian...
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 12, 2002
By-elections give Abdullah chance to prove his mettle
SINGAPORE -- For Malaysia's deputy prime minister, Abdullah Badawi, the sequence of two fast-moving events late last month could not have been more timely -- and dramatic.
COMMENTARY / World
May 10, 2002
Splintered blocs in Malaysia unite on draconian law
SINGAPORE -- Malaysia's disparate opposition groups have launched a new campaign against a draconian security law in an attempt to prevent Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad from further splitting their ranks.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 1, 2002
Tempest over headscarves ruffles Singapore's multiracial calm
SINGAPORE -- As the controversy over the prohibition of wearing the Muslim headscarf, the tudung, in public schools in Singapore moves on to the next stage, a cardinal doctrine of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations -- noninterference in the domestic affairs of member countries -- looks set to...
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 25, 2002
Heightened fear of radicals gives Mahathir a big win
KANGAR, Malaysia -- Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has cleverly manipulated the Sept. 11 Islamic terrorist attacks in the United States and their aftermath to crush his political rivals in a crucial by-election in the north Malaysian state of Perlis over the weekend.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 21, 2001
A dormant Islamic state concept
SINGAPORE -- Malaysia's ruling National Front coalition government has withdrawn from circulation a booklet "Malaysia Is an Islamic Country" to allay growing fears among the significant non-Muslim minority that the multiracial country which tolerates many faiths would be turned into an Islamic state....
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 24, 2001
Mahathir goes all out to remove thorn in his side
SINGAPORE -- After months of futile attempts at various kinds of measures, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad may have hit upon the right combination to effectively deal with a formidable political opponent -- the fundamentalist Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS).
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 6, 2001
Mahathir digs deep into old roots
KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad took two hours to deliver a 21-page address at the opening ceremony of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) assembly on June 21. During the assembly's closing session two days later, he took another two hours to elaborate on the key...
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 15, 2001
Backers of Chinese press in Malaysia mobilize to defend its freedom
KUALA LUMPUR -- Despite stringent mass media laws, Chinese newspapers in Malaysia have built a reputation for objective, balanced and accurate political reporting and analyses. This widely-held perception among all ethnic groups in multiracial Malaysia -- Malays, Chinese and Indians -- often stands in...
COMMENTARY / World
May 25, 2001
Racial quotas widen social gaps, not rectify them
SINGAPORE -- When some 600 ethnic Chinese students who passed a string of examinations with distinction failed to gain admission to public universities in Malaysia recently, a controversy erupted in the media over a major flaw in university entrance criteria.
COMMENTARY / World
May 11, 2001
Draconian arrests boost Malaysian opposition's message of change
PENANG, Malaysia -- A second-echelon leadership has emerged within Malaysia's prominent opposition party, Keadilan, to pursue its fight for justice after eight top party leaders were detained by police.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 16, 2001
Failed experiment haunts Jakarta
SINGAPORE -- As Indonesia assesses the carnage from the recent ethnic violence in its province of Kalimantan, a poignant legacy of the failure of its transmigration policy slowly but surely emerges.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 24, 2000
Ethnic Chinese see school plan as ploy to erode their identity
SINGAPORE -- Chinese education authorities in multiracial Malaysia have rejected a government pilot project to merge the country's three different kinds of vernacular schools -- Malay, Chinese and Tamil -- into a single national institution, dubbed "Vision Schools," that would embody Malaysian identity....
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 6, 2000
Singapore media monopolies break into rival's turf
SINGAPORE -- Competition in Singapore's expanding media industry is growing more intense as the two rival main players prepare to slug it out, having pumped in millions of dollars to upgrade existing projects and invest in new ones.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 22, 2000
Sabah -- unfinished business between Malaysia and the Philippines
SINGAPORE -- The kidnap-for-ransom hostage crisis triggered by the Abu Sayyaf rebels in a remote corner of the South China Sea has attracted worldwide attention. But of even greater significance, it has further strained ties between the Philippines and Malaysia, as each country blames the other for allowing...
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 25, 2000
Wahid battered but still kicking
SINGAPORE -- The threat of impeachment from angry legislators stared Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid grimly in the face on Aug 7., when the 695-member People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) convened in Jakarta to review Indonesia's progress.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 14, 2000
Growing Islamic tide in region heightens Singapore's vulnerability
SINGAPORE -- A red dot in a sea of green. That was how former Indonesian President B.J. Habibie, talking to a Singapore minister who was paying a courtesy call, once described Singapore's position among its bigger neighbors in Southeast Asia.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 16, 2000
Plan will shear Malaysia's Islamic Party of its spirit and charisma
KUALA TRENGGANU, Malaysia -- The Malaysian government's move to separate religion from politics has touched a raw nerve in the leading opposition party in Malaysia. It has incensed the theocratic Islamic Party (PAS), whose cardinal principle is Islam, to the last man.
COMMENTARY / World
May 19, 2000
Populist bloc sends UMNO strong message
KUALA LUMPUR-- Delegates to the recently-concluded triennial elections of Malaysia's top political party have voted according to their conscience, sending a strong signal to party president, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, that they prefer their leaders who can reach out to the grassroots of the politically-dominant...
North Korean hacker group behind DMM Bitcoin’s cryptocurrency leak
A North Korean hacker group is believed to have planted a virus on the computer of an employee at Ginco — a company that was entrusted with the deposit and withdrawal of DMM Bitcoin’s virtual currency — through a fake job recruitment message sent via LinkedIn.
High levels of PFAS found in water from 44 private suppliers across Japan
The Self-Defense Forces facilities are believed to have become sources of PFAS contamination because they used firefighting foam containing the toxic chemicals in the past.
Health ministry urges caution as flu cases rise nationwide
From Dec. 9 to Dec. 15, there were 94,259 flu cases reported across some 5,000 hospitals and clinics nationwide, according to the health ministry.
Parliament wraps up, showing minority government's lack of control
Political reform bills clear the Upper House plenary session in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Japan selects two groups for third offshore wind power round
Japan aims to accelerate offshore wind development as part of its decarbonization strategy.
High levels of PFAS found in water from 44 private suppliers across Japan
The Self-Defense Forces facilities are believed to have become sources of PFAS contamination because they used firefighting foam containing the toxic chemicals in the past.
For baseball fans, 2024 brought The Summer of Shohei Ohtani
Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani reacts to a standing ovation from fans after hitting his 50th home run of the season, against the Marlins in Miami on Sept. 19.
Trump's Pentagon policy pick pushed for Japan to spend 3% of GDP on defense
Elbridge Colby (center) speaks at the Threat and the Strategy panel during the Air Force Association Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, in September 2019.
A brief history of ‘osechi ryōri,' Japan's edible tradition for the new year
Japan's traditional New Year cuisine has a long history, though modern developments have led to slight changes in the way things work.
Japan accuses Google of violating antimonopoly law
The Japanese antitrust watchdog said that Google forced smartphone makers to preinstall its search app on their devices, sources say.

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