From the Himalayas to Southeast Asia, this week’s stories reveal struggles shaping lives and landscapes. India’s push for a mega dam in Arunachal Pradesh underscores rising water tensions with China. In Malaysia, thousands of abandoned children face an uncertain future without identity or family. Meanwhile, eight years on, the Rohingya crisis remains unresolved as new conflicts complicate repatriation efforts.

🎯 India plans mega dam in Arunachal Pradesh, with eye on China’s hydropower station in Tibet

By Debarshi Dasgupta | India and China, The Straits Times

Experts say the race to build these mega dams reflects the intense geopolitical rivalry between India and China, as well as both countries’ need for energy. But such large dams will inevitably affect water flow along the river and flood control – and both are being built in an earthquake-prone region. 🔗 [Read Full Story →]

✨ Spotlight Stories from Across Asia 

Timely, thoughtful, and deeply reported pieces from our partner publications

🔹 I’m nobody’s child, nobody wants me: The stark reality of Malaysia’s abandoned children
 By Fazleena Aziz and Divya Theresa Ravi, The Star

Only 4% of Malaysia’s 4,126 abandoned kids found adoptive homes in 2024—a sharp drop from 2023. Most lack birth certificates, leaving them stateless and shut out of school, healthcare, and safety.
🔗 [Read more]

🔹 Rohingya influx: 8 years on, repatriation still elusive
 By Porimol Palma, The Daily Star

While all past attempts to repatriate the Rohingyas since 2017 have failed, the Myanmar based Arakan Army's sweeping control of Rakhine State has further complicated matters for Bangladesh.
🔗 [Read more]

🔹Flooded, forgotten, forsaken — Pakistan’s endless monsoon crisis
 By Muzhira Amin, Dawn

Underneath the fatal climate events that have hit the country's mountainous north are factors that are controllable yet ignored every year, every time.
 🔗 [Read more]

🔹 ‘Withdrawal’ symptoms to watch out for as e-wallets in the Philippines remove online gambling sites
 By Kurt Dela Peña, Philippine Daily Inquirer

Symptoms include restlessness, irritability, anxiety, low mood, sleep problems, poor concentration, and even strong cravings, an expert said, warning how these could lead to worse mental health conditions.
 🔗 [Read more]

🔹 Jakarta’s Ragunan night zoo: New wildlife experience or risk?
 By Gembong Hanung, The Jakarta Post

While Jakarta governor Pramono Anung’s proposal for a night zoo offers the prospect of a new recreational experience and economic opportunities, experts caution that animal welfare must remain the top priority.
🔗 [Read more]

🔍 In Case You Missed It: Earlier This Week

• India-Pakistan Partition’s last generation: Will their memories of home survive them? – India, Pakistan
  In about another decade, the three South Asian neighbours, including Bangladesh, will have no one left with a direct link to their common past.
  🔗 [Read more]
  

• Vietnamese surgeons deliver lifeline to Vietnam-based Filipina in ectopic emergency – Vietnam
  The 35-year-old patient, who is currently working in Quang Ninh Province, was admitted to the provincial hospital after experiencing abdominal pain and missing her period.
  🔗 [Read more]
  

• Korean pet funeral home accused of illegally putting down over 90 animals, even healthy ones – South Korea
  One employee told a broadcaster that staff would pretend to take the pets to a hospital and administer the fatal drugs in a remote location. 
  🔗 [Read more]

📣 Voices from the Region
Op-eds, expert analysis, and perspectives that matter

🗣️ Why corruption in the Philippines persists
 By Randy David
The writer says, "Anti-corruption drives typically end with the arrest of a few low-ranking employees, the public shaming of a handful of principals, and a fresh round of calls to moral renewal. Then, as memory fades, everything is forgiven. The business of politics goes on as usual."
 🔗 [Read more]

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