UN agency tackling drugs, crime and corruption
A UNODC report monitors how transnational crime has expanded from Southeast Asia to a global stage, with AI, crypto and encrypted communications enabling money laundering and cyber-enabled exploitation. The report highlights rising threats to children from AI-generated imagery, online gaming, and sex trafficking linked to regional corridors like the Sulu-Celebes triangle, while law enforcement notes growing cross-border muscle for illicit markets.
Princess Bajrakitiyabha has died after nearly four years in hospital. The eldest child of King Maha Vajiralongkorn has been treated in Bangkok since collapsing in December 2022; the palace has authorised royal funeral rites and the government has said it will observe a period of national mourning.
A UNODC report shows Asia-Pacific losses from scams reaching up to $114 billion in 2025. Authorities have raided scam centers in Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, while criminals shift operations to new hubs or shrink scale. The U.S. and partners are coordinating to hold operators and complicit officials accountable, with Cambodia planning an international conference on cyber scams in September.