Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Thursday rebuffed efforts by China to bully Malaysia away from oil and gas exploration in the South China Sea. Anwar’s government is investigating a leaked Chinese diplomatic note that accused Malaysia of violating Chinese sovereignty by working near the oil-rich Luconia Shoals.
Indonesia’s parliament approved a bill on Tuesday that initiates a plan to move Indonesia’s national capital from Jakarta to a location on the southeast Asian island of Borneo — which is politically divided between Indonesia, Brunei, and Malaysia — by 2024, Channel News Asia (CNA) reported.
Kuala Lumpur summoned China’s ambassador to Malaysia on Monday to protest a recent violation of its South China Sea maritime territory by Chinese vessels off the coast of Borneo.
Malaysia’s air force scrambled fighter jets to intercept 16 Chinese military aircraft off the coast of Sarawak state on the island of Borneo on Monday after they intruded into Malaysian maritime airspace and “refused to communicate with local air-traffic controllers,”
Brunei has rejected growing global criticism of its implementation of Islamic laws that allow death by stoning for adultery and homosexuality.
Stoning to death for gay sex and amputation for theft are just two provisions in new legislation planned for the tiny Asian state of Brunei that have drawn criticism from human rights groups.
