South Asia: Security

Domestic

Southeast Asian nations addressed a range of internal security and diplomatic matters. Cambodia announced the closure of nearly 200 scam centers as part of a major fraud crackdown. In Thailand, authorities are considering scrapping a sea-boundary deal with a neighbor. Other regional actions included Malaysia seizing over $129 million in crude oil from tankers suspected of illegal transfers and Vietnamese police breaking up a drug-laced e-cigarette ring targeting students. Separately, there was a call for ASEAN to focus on maintaining peace. In Dhaka, Bangladesh, police detained more than 100 people in two neighborhoods during a drive. Authorities also identified 37 city polling stations as risky, with the army marking two constituencies as highly risk-prone.

International

Indonesia's military stated it is preparing up to 8,000 soldiers for a potential deployment to Gaza as part of a peacekeeping force, with some reports indicating a start as early as April. Singapore launched a new National Space Agency and introduced a bill requiring coastal landowners to build or upgrade sea defenses, while stating it would maintain defense spending at 3% of GDP for now. At the Singapore Airshow, China's J-10C fighter jet was a main attraction and its military aerobatic team performed; a new Israeli-made cargo drone was also unveiled. In Thailand, a gunman opened fire at a school, resulting in a woman's death, and authorities deported eight Russian citizens for violating stay rules. China executed four leading members of a criminal gang based in northern Myanmar as part of a scam crackdown. Separately, a large abandoned scam compound was found in Cambodia, with Thai military officials discovering evidence of organized fraud. Cambodia and Thailand had recent military clashes along their border, with Cambodia firing a grenade into Thai territory, causing damage to a UNESCO-listed temple. Australia and Indonesia signed a new security treaty to affirm deeper ties and allow for joint crisis responses.