South East Asia (SEA)

  In the early hours of May 10, 2025, Malaysians woke to unsettling news: a magnitude 5.6 earthquake had struck the Banda Sea in eastern Indonesia. While not catastrophic by global standards, any seismic activity near regional coastlines naturally raises the specter of a tsunami—especially in a part of the world historically scarred by such disasters. But this time, the news comes with a sigh of relief. The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) moved quickly to reassure the public, issuing a firm statement confirming there is no tsunami threat to Malaysia. According to their data, the quake, which occurred at approximately 6:45am (Malaysian Time), originated deep beneath the seabed—significantly reducing its potential to trigger tsunami waves. This official clarification offers a moment of calm amid the usual waves of anxiety that follow any mention of an undersea earthquake. The public's fear is understandable. Memories of past disasters in the region, especially the...

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York made a big announcement on Wednesday, revealing its decision to return 14 artworks to Cambodia and Thailand. These items were plundered from old temples and transported out of the countries, including stone statues of Hindu deities and metal sculptures of Buddhist and Hindu characters. Among the notable items are twin stone statues of Hindu gods Shiva and Skanda, once positioned at the entrance of a 10th-century temple in Koh Ker, a former capital of the Khmer Empire. Donated to the Met by Douglas Latchford, a British-Thai collector indicted in 2019 for trafficking Cambodian antiquities, the statues played a central role in the repatriation decision. Latchford passed away in 2020. The Met also agreed to return 12 bronze sculptures stolen from Thai temples during the 1960s and 1970s. These artworks, acquired from various sources, including Latchford and other donors and dealers, were subjected to a thorough review of their provenance. In a stat...