TOP NEWS HEADLINES IN SINGAPORE & THAILAND: MARCH 14, 2025

INDONESIA

1.KPK NAMES FIVE SUSPECTS IN BJB GRAFT SCANDAL -- JAKARTA GLOBE

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Thursday named five suspects in its ongoing investigation into alleged corruption involving advertisement spending by the Bank of West Java and Banten (BJB).

2.STATE REVENUE NOSEDIVES IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY -- THE JAKARTA POST

State revenue dropped sharply in the first two months of 2025, and signs point to the haphazard implementation of the new taxation system Coretax as a contributing factor, though the Finance Ministry remains tight-lipped on the matter.

SINGAPORE

1.MEET-THE-PEOPLE SESSION IS NOT A PROTEST VENUE, SAYS SHANMUGAM AFTER TWO WOMEN CAUSE COMMOTION -- THE STRAITS TIMES

Two women confronted Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam at his Meet-the-People Session on March 12, causing a commotion outside his Chong Pang branch office that was caught on camera.

2.CAN JOHOR’S US$1.1 BILLION PLAN HELP IT STOP RELYING ON SINGAPORE FOR TREATED WATER BY 2030? -- CNA

The five-year plan unveiled for Johor to develop three more reservoirs alongside three water treatment plants so that it no longer needs to rely on Singapore for treated water by 2030 is an “ambitious” proposal but it has a challenging timeline given the scale of construction, analysts told CNA. 

THAILAND

1. WOMAN BUSTED WITH 10-MILLION-BAHT WORTH OF E-CIGARETTES -- THE NATION

The suspect, who worked out of her own Lat Phrao condo, tells police she was being paid by a Chinese supplier to store and sell the banned products.

2. GROUP LAMENTS LOST OPPORTUNITIES -- BANGKOK POST

The era of more than 10 million Chinese visitors a year to Thailand has passed, given safety concerns in the segment and ineffective law enforcement, according to the Association of Thai Travel Agents (Atta).

-- BERNAMA