BANGKOK, Thailand:Over the last 12 months, stalls have been opening up across southern Thailand to sell ketum leaves, syrups, and mixed drinks. In Thailand ketum is called kratom.
BANGKOK, Thailand-The true winner of Malaysia’s general election in November was the Malaysian Islamic Party, the Parti Islam Se-Malaysia or PAS. PAS won 49 out of the 62 seats it contested in the 222 seats in national parliament.
BANGKOK, Thailand--There has been much discussion about the existence of a deep state within Malaysia. This essay looks at its components. The deep state is not a unified and coordinated mechanism. It is heterogeneous and diverse. It is probably only bound together by a common narrative, sometimes interpreted differently. At different points of time, different aspects of this deep state exercise more power over the others. Other times, there is even conflict between the various elements.
BANGKOK, Thailand--The shortage of McDonald’s French fries earlier this month in Malaysia is symbolic of a much bigger national problem. Many food items are in short supply and subject to rapidly rising prices.
BANGKOK, Thailand--Over the last six months the prices of everyday staples have been on the rise. Now some markets are beginning to see chronic shortages of items like chicken.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia--A few days ago Reuters reported, citing industry sources, there are no takers for the government’s 5G network, as major telecommunication providers (telcos) balk over pricing and transparency, even as the 5G roll-out is scheduled for Dec. 2021.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia--The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) explained that former Felda board of directors’ member Noor Ehsanuddin Mohd Harun Narrashid had returned the money before its investigations began over 29 alleged bribery charges and was acquitted because of that.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia--Malaysian prosecutors on Wednesday dropped 29 corruption charges against a former Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) board of directors’ member, the first high-profile graft case to be dismissed since the new government took over in August.
The affirmative action program should have embraced entrepreneurship, not cronyism.