These are the top stories making the front pages of major newspapers from across Southeast Asia today.
Get up to speed with what’s happening in the fastest growing region in the world.
Hundreds of displaced villagers seek to return home in Kachin
People from more than 100 households staying in internally displaced person (IDP) camps want to return to their homes in Nam San Yang village in Waingmaw township in Kachin State, a village priest said.
Father Joseph Gawlu Yung Wa, a Catholic priest in Nam San Yang, said officials are postponing the return of the villagers because the government and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) are preparing to sign an agreement.
“Nam San Yang is quite peaceful. People thought that Nam San Yang is still in danger and unsafe. It’s not true. Nam San Yang is included on the available places list for returnees by the Kachin Humanitarian Concern Committee,” he said. – Myanmar Times
Casinos close, gamblers flee Kingdom ahead of inspections
The Finance Ministry yesterday revealed some casinos have abruptly closed ahead of inspections on online and arcade gambling operations across the Kingdom as a ban comes into effect.
Prime Minister Hun Sen in August issued a directive to ban all online and arcade gambling in the Kingdom by the end of this year. He noted some online gambling operations rigged their games and threatened those who are not able to repay gambling debts. – Khmer Times
Iran seizes ship, arrests 16 Malaysian crew members
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have seized a ship suspected of fuel-smuggling and arrested 16 Malaysian crew members, state media reported on Monday.
The website of IRIB state television said the Guards confiscated 1.3 million litres of “smuggled fuel” from the unnamed vessel 15 nautical miles from Abu Musa island. – The New Straits Times
Durbin: Duterte admin’s threat of visa restrictions a ‘strong-arm tactic’
The Duterte administration’s “strong-arm tactic” of imposing visa restrictions is an “insult to the Filipino-American community,” a U.S. senator said Tuesday.
“The Duterte regime should stop threatening the travel of these Filipino Americans and so many others who travel between our nations, and instead release Senator de Lima or assure a quick and credible trial,” U.S. Senator Richard Durbin (D-Illinois) said in a statement. – Philippine Daily Inquirer
Hong Kong to end 2019 with multiple protests; big march planned for Jan 1
Hong Kong will end 2019 with multiple protests planned for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day aimed at disrupting festivities and shopping in the Asian financial hub, which has seen a rise in clashes between police and protesters since Christmas.
Events dubbed "Suck the Eve" and "Shop with you" are scheduled for New Year's Eve on Tuesday (Dec 31) around the city, including in the party district of Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong's picturesque Victoria Harbour, and popular shopping malls, according to notices circulated on social media. – The Straits Times