Southeast Asia Insights

In November 2025, Grammy-winning Fugees member Pras Michel was sentenced to 14 years in US prison for using money stolen from Malaysia’s 1MDB fund to influence American politics and help financier Jho Low obstruct US investigations into the scandal. The court also ordered Michel to forfeit $64.9 million.   In January 2026, a federal judge denied Michel’s request to remain free on bail while he appeals his conviction and sentenc...

As the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) prepares another rate cut to support slowing growth, Malaysia is holding rates steady after posting its fastest expansion in three years. The divergence highlights two very different economic cycles unfolding in Southeast Asia.   BSP Eases as Domestic Momentum Fades The Philippine economy grew just 4.4% in 2025, well below the government’s 5.5-6.5% target and down from 5.7% in 2024. Growth sl...

Nearly ten years after the Philippines’ “war on drugs” began, it is now defined by a striking contradiction. Former president Rodrigo Duterte is on trial before the International Criminal Court for alleged crimes against humanity. Yet, according to rights monitors, drug-related killings linked to police operations are still being recorded across the country in 2026 under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.   The result is a ra...

Vietnam has entered a new political phase with little noise and even less debate. At the Communist Party Congress in January 2026, To Lam secured another five years as the country’s top leader in a process so smooth it revealed how tightly power is now held at the center.   A former security chief, Lam already occupies the most powerful position in Vietnam’s system. If he also assumes the presidency, as many expect, two of the ...

A burst of online claims has pushed the Indonesia-Malaysia border dispute back into public debate in 2026, with rumors suggesting that thousands of hectares of land near Sabah and North Kalimantan were “handed over” in a secret deal. At the center of the debate are three villages in Indonesia’s Nunukan district and claims involving 5,207 hectares of land.   Leaders in both Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta have moved quickly to ca...