Indonesian immigration chief Hendarsam Marantoko said the government was reassessing visa waiver arrangements following a surge in cases involving foreign nationals allegedly engaged in cyber fraud, online gambling and other illicit activities.

Authorities last week detained more than 500 suspects in two separate operations targeting an online gambling syndicate in Jakarta and a scam network in Batam in the eastern Riau Islands province, officials said.

Those arrested included nationals from Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Laos and Myanmar, all of which currently benefit from Indonesia’s 30-day visa-free entry scheme. Chinese nationals were also among those detained, although China is not covered by the waiver policy.

“Cases of foreigners involved in illegal activities, including those coming from countries granted visa-free entry facilities, give rise to evaluation” of existing policies, Hendarsam said in a statement released by immigration authorities.

Investigators found that many suspects linked to the Jakarta gambling operation had entered Indonesia either under visa-free arrangements or through permits issued on arrival, according to officials.

Indonesia has intensified immigration enforcement in recent weeks as authorities seek to curb transnational cybercrime and illegal online betting operations, which have proliferated across parts of Southeast Asia.

Hendarsam said immigration authorities had conducted more than 6,700 administrative enforcement actions in recent weeks, including over 2,000 deportations and revocations of residence permits tied to immigration violations and criminal investigations.

Southeast Asian governments have faced mounting pressure to crack down on cross-border scam compounds and online gambling syndicates, many of which operate through regional networks involving foreign workers and digital financial transactions.

The suspects were detained at an office building in the Indonesian capital after police investigations linked the group to an online gambling enterprise that had allegedly operated for the past two months, officials said at a press conference.

According to Wira Satya Triputra, director of the Indonesian police force’s crime investigation unit, those arrested included 228 Vietnamese nationals, 57 Chinese citizens, 13 people from Myanmar, 11 from Laos, five from Thailand and three from Cambodia.

Wira said 275 of the detainees were being investigated under Indonesia’s criminal code provisions on gambling, which carry a maximum prison sentence of nine years. He added that most of the suspects were aware they had entered Indonesia to participate in online gambling activities primarily targeting customers outside the country.

Online gambling is prohibited in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, where authorities have stepped up enforcement efforts against digital gambling platforms and cross-border criminal syndicates amid concerns over financial fraud and illicit online operations.The arrests marked the second major enforcement operation involving foreign nationals in two days.

On Friday, Indonesian immigration authorities detained 210 foreigners on Batam island in Riau Islands province over allegations they were involved in online investment scams operating from an apartment complex near Singapore.

Interpol Indonesia official Untung Widyatmoko said there had been a recent shift in regional online gambling operations from Cambodian cities into Indonesia, reflecting changing enforcement patterns across Southeast Asia.

The latest raids underscore growing regional concern over organized cybercrime networks that have increasingly used Southeast Asian countries as operational hubs for online gambling, fraud and investment scams targeting international victims.

In its Global Hepatitis Report 2026, the United Nations health agency said hepatitis B and C, which account for 95% of hepatitis-related deaths worldwide, caused 1.34 million deaths in 2024, while more than 1.8 million new infections were recorded during the year.

WHO estimated that 287 million people were living with chronic hepatitis B or C infections in 2024, despite the availability of vaccines and highly effective treatments.“Progress is too slow and uneven,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.“Many people remain undiagnosed and untreated due to stigma, weak health systems and inequitable access to care.

While we have the tools to eliminate hepatitis as a public health threat, urgent scale-up of prevention, diagnosis and treatment is needed,” he said.Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver caused by infectious viruses and other agents, often leading to severe complications including liver failure, cirrhosis and cancer.

Of the five main viral strains, hepatitis B and C are the deadliest and remain among the world’s leading infectious disease killers.The WHO said fewer than 5% of the 240 million people living with chronic hepatitis B in 2024 were receiving treatment. For hepatitis C, only 20% of infected people have been treated since 2015.

In Africa, which carries the heaviest burden of hepatitis B infections, only 17% of newborns received the recommended birth-dose vaccine in 2024, raising concerns about continued mother-to-child transmission.

Six countries China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, South Africa and Vietnam are among the top 10 globally for deaths linked to hepatitis B and C, the report said.“Every missed diagnosis and untreated infection due to chronic viral hepatitis represents a preventable death,” said Tereza Kasaeva, director of the WHO department overseeing hepatitis programs.

The agency said proven medical tools are already available. The hepatitis B vaccine protects more than 95% of recipients from both acute and chronic infection, while long-term antiviral treatment can help prevent severe liver disease in chronic cases.

For hepatitis C, short-course curative therapies lasting eight to 12 weeks can cure more than 95% of infections, WHO said.The agency pointed to United Kingdom, Egypt, Georgia and Rwanda as examples of countries demonstrating that hepatitis can be eliminated as a public health problem through sustained policy action and financing.

“Eliminating hepatitis is not a pipedream: it’s possible with sustained political commitment, backed by reliable domestic financing,” Tedros said.Since 2015, annual new hepatitis B infections have fallen by 32%, while hepatitis C-related deaths have declined by 12%, according to WHO data.

Lee’s trip would come shortly after Lam’s election as president last week, a development that consolidates his authority by combining the presidency with leadership of the ruling Communist Party, the country’s most powerful political position.

The meeting is expected to underscore ties between the two countries, which have developed extensive economic and strategic cooperation in recent years, though specific agenda details were not disclosed by the sources.

Reuters could not immediately verify further details of the planned discussions, and officials from both governments have not publicly commented on the visit.

The proposed investments will target urban development, electric mobility, renewable energy and public infrastructure, according to the agreement. The initiative is expected to support the creation of tens of thousands of jobs over the next three to five years, although timelines for capital deployment were not disclosed.

As part of the plan, Vingroup is evaluating the development of integrated townships spanning about 1,000 hectares near Mumbai, with a projected investment of roughly $5 billion.

In the electric mobility segment, the group aims to deploy a fleet of 60,000 electric taxis, representing an additional investment of around $1.5 billion.The move builds on Vingroup’s growing presence in India, where its electric vehicle unit VinFast already operates a manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu and has announced plans for a $3 billion ecosystem in Telangana.

Maharashtra accounts for approximately 14% of India’s gross domestic product and hosts a strong automotive manufacturing base, including major domestic players such as Mahindra and Mahindra and Tata Motors.

Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association, told reporters in Singapore that while crude prices had fallen below $100 per barrel following a U.S.-Iran ceasefire announcement, jet fuel costs were likely to remain elevated due to constraints on refining output.

“If it were to reopen and remain open, I think it will still take a period of months to get back to where supply needs to be given the disruption to the refining capacity in the Middle East,” Walsh said, adding that the region is critical to global supply of refined products beyond aviation fuel.

The Strait of Hormuz, which carries about a fifth of the world’s oil trade, has been heavily disrupted during the recent conflict, squeezing fuel availability and driving up costs across the aviation sector.

Airlines in Asia have responded by cutting flights, carrying additional fuel from origin airports and adding refueling stops, measures that have increased operational costs for carriers already dealing with a sharp rise in jet fuel prices.

The impact has been most acute in import-dependent markets such as Vietnam, Myanmar and Pakistan, where supply constraints have tightened further after China and Thailand halted jet fuel exports and South Korea capped shipments at previous levels.

Walsh said a resumption of crude flows could encourage exporters such as China and South Korea to restart shipments of refined products, easing pressure on the market over time.

However, he noted that higher refinery margins, known as crack spreads, would be needed to incentivize increased jet fuel production.

“There is capacity available once we get the crude oil flowing, but it’ll take a little bit of time,” Walsh said.

All 495 lawmakers present endorsed his nomination, according to parliament, formalizing a dual leadership structure that departs from Vietnam’s long-standing system of collective governance.

Lam, who secured a second term earlier this year as head of the Communist Party of Vietnam, now holds both the top party and state positions for the next five years. Analysts say the concentration of authority could streamline policymaking but also raises concerns about increased centralization of power.

In a televised address after the vote, Lam pledged to pursue a new growth strategy driven by science, technology, innovation and digital transformation, while emphasizing stability, self-reliance in defense and improvements in living standards.

The leadership shift marks a structural change in Vietnam’s political system, bringing it closer to models seen in other one-party states where power is concentrated in a single figure.

Observers say this could accelerate economic decision-making in the fast-growing Southeast Asian economy.Lam, 68, previously served as minister of public security and has promoted reforms aimed at boosting competitiveness and reducing reliance on low-cost manufacturing.

His policies have drawn both praise from investors and concerns over potential risks such as market distortions, favouritism and asset bubbles.Vietnam’s foreign policy is expected to remain broadly unchanged, with Lam continuing a balancing approach between major powers while expanding global partnerships.

The National Assembly is expected to appoint a new prime minister later on Tuesday to replace Pham Minh Chinh.

The U.S. has been pushing for the upgrade for months as it sees the Southeast Asian manufacturing dynamo as a key country in its strategy to secure global supply chains from China-related risks.

The overhaul may be shadowed, however, by a report on Saturday that Vietnam was in talks with Russia over a new arms supply deal that could trigger U.S. sanctions.

The New York Times cited a March Vietnamese finance ministry document laying out plans for Hanoi to pay to modernise its forces through a Vietnamese-Russian oil venture in Siberia.

Reuters has seen, but not been able to authenticate, documents describing talks for a credit facility that Russia would extend to Vietnam to buy heavy weaponry, including anti-ship missiles, antisubmarine aircraft and helicopters, antiaircraft missile systems and fighter jets.

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A spokesperson for Vietnam’s foreign ministry did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the documents, which show Moscow pushing for months for a loan deal that would bypass Western sanctions on Moscow, and Vietnam showing “interest”.

Hanoi is in similar talks with multiple arms suppliers including the U.S.. In recent weeks, Vietnam has engaged in several high-level defence meetings with top Russian officials.

The upgrade will include a security dimension, Jon Finer, the U.S. principal deputy national security adviser, told reporters on Sunday, while on the plane with Biden to Vietnam from a Group of 20 summit in India.

He said he had no arms deals to announce at this stage but stressed that the U.S. and its partners could offer Vietnam help to diversify away from Russian military supplies, an offer which he said Vietnam was receptive to.

That would help Vietnam reduce military reliance on Moscow, “a relationship we think they are increasingly uncomfortable with,” Finer said.

Chips, Rare Earths

A half-century after a lengthy and brutal war, the U.S. is to elevate Vietnam to the same diplomatic tier as China and Russia, Finer noted, as Biden and other U.S. officials have said. Vietnamese officials have shown optimism about the expected upgrade, despite initial concerns over how giant neighbour China would react.

Top Chinese officials, possibly including President Xi Jinping, are expected to visit Vietnam in the coming days or weeks, officials and diplomats said, as Hanoi seeks to maintain good relations with all superpowers.

Biden is to arrive at Vietnam’s Presidential Palace on Sunday afternoon for a formal welcome from Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Vietnam’s most powerful leader, then go to party headquarters, where the two will meet and give public remarks.

The president is scheduled to hold a news conference at 7:30 p.m. (1230 GMT).

His visit comes as bilateral trade and investment ties are growing and a long-simmering territorial dispute between Vietnam and China heats up in the South China Sea.

Highlighting Vietnam’s growing importance as a “friendshoring” destination for U.S. technology companies, executives from Google (GOOGL.O), Intel (INTC.O), Amkor (AMKR.O), Marvell (MRVL.O), GlobalFoundries (GFS.O) and Boeing (BA.N) are expected to meet on Monday with Vietnamese tech executives and Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Hanoi.

Semiconductors are the centrepiece of an action plan to be adopted during Biden’s visit, adding concrete deliverables to the diplomatic upgrade, a U.S. official said. Many see the upgrade so far as symbolic because the Washington already effectively has close ties with Hanoi.

Besides possible announcements by U.S. corporations, it is unclear how significant the U.S. administration’s contribution to the sector could be, having only $100 million a year for five years available under the CHIPS Act to support semiconductor supply chains globally. A large part of it could go to Vietnam, officials said.

More support to train skilled workers is also expected, as Vietnam faces a major shortage of engineers in the chips sector.

Another key issue is strengthening supply chains of critical minerals, especially rare earths, of which Vietnam has the world’s largest deposits after China, according to U.S. estimates, officials said.

Two people familiar with the plans said an agreement on rare earths was expected during Biden’s visit, which ends on Monday when he flies back to America.

Details, however, are scant. Past attempts by U.S. companies to partner with Vietnamese rare earth firms have not succeeded, according to a person involved in one recent plan.

Trade may also be discussed, as Vietnam’s trade surplus with the U.S. trails only those of China and Mexico.

Human rights remain a controversial issue, with U.S. officials regularly criticising Hanoi for jailing activists and limiting freedom of expression. Vietnam may show goodwill, with diplomats suggesting activists could be freed.

New Delhi (Reuters) – An active duty missile corvette of the Indian Navy is on its way to Vietnam as a gift, the first warship given by India to any country.

The domestically built corvette INS Kirpan left India’s east coast on Wednesday, the navy said.

India and Vietnam have strengthened their ties in recent years, with a special focus on defence, as both countries are concerned over an increasingly assertive China.

India has given smaller boats and military equipment to countries like Maldives and Mauritius in the past and a submarine to Myanmar.

But the corvette for Vietnam is the first time India has given a warship to a Chinese neighbour with a coast on the South China Sea, where several countries have overlapping territorial claims.

China has for years claimed sovereignty over the entire South China Se, and has been sensitive to the presence of other militaries in the region.

The Indian Navy said in a statement the transfer of the Kirpan “reflects India’s commitment to assist its like-minded partners in enhancing their capacity and capability”.

“This is the maiden occasion of gifting a fully operational corvette by India to any Friendly Foreign Country.”

The gift was announced when Vietnam’s Defence Minister Gen Phan Van Giang visited India earlier this month.

The warship was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1991 and has been designed and produced within the country.

It is fitted with medium-range and close-range guns, chaff launchers and surface-to-surface missiles, the navy said. It did not mention if the transfer included missiles.

Chinese Defence Minister Li Shangfu said on Tuesday that Beijing is willing to work with Hanoi to strengthen high-level communication and cooperation after he met his Vietnamese counterpart.

Bangkok (AP) — A U.S. aircraft carrier and two guided missile cruisers were visiting Vietnam on Monday, a rare port call that comes as the United States and China increasingly vie for influence in Southeast Asia.

The USS Ronald Reagan, along with the guided missile cruisers USS Antietam and USS Robert Smalls, arrived in Da Nang on Sunday for the visit.

Neighboring China is Vietnam’s largest trading partner but Beijing’s sweeping maritime claims in the South China Sea have led to increasing friction with Vietnam, as well as with Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines.

The U.S., meantime, has been on a diplomatic push to strengthen economic and military ties in the Indo-Pacific region.

The aircraft carrier’s port call — only the third such visit since relations were reestablished after the end of the Vietnam war — follows visits to Vietnam this year from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and USAID Administrator Samantha Power.

“Though aircraft carrier visits often spark media attention because of their highly visible nature, the broader question is how this will play into the development of ties, including Washington’s quest to upgrade relations,” Prashanth Parameswaran, a fellow with the Wilson Center’s Asia Program, wrote in a research note.

“An overly narrow focus on carrier visits can distract from the broader trend of the more comprehensive development of U.S.-Vietnam defense ties and relations more generally,” Parameswaran added.

Officers from the Ronald Reagan debarked Sunday and were greeted by Vietnamese officers after mooring in Da Nang, a port that was modernized and expanded by the United States during the war for its own use.

Capt. Daryle Cardone, the Ronald Reagan’s commanding officer, said some of the more than 5,000 sailors from the ship will volunteer at several community relations events, play sports with local athletes and take part in other cultural and professional exchanges during the visit through June 30.

“A few Reagan sailors call Vietnam home, but for most it will be their first time visiting,” Cardone said in a release from the U.S. Navy.

Washington sees Hanoi as a key part of its strategy for the region and has sought to leverage Vietnam’s traditional rivalry with its much larger neighbor China to expand U.S. influence in the region.

Japan, a strong U.S. ally, also made a port call in Vietnam last week with its largest destroyer, Izumo, following exercises in the South China Sea with the Reagan and other American ships.

China has also been reaching out in an effort to mend fences, sending a navy training ship to make its own port call in Da Nang a month ago as part of what it called a goodwill tour that also took it to Thailand, Brunei and the Philippines.

Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry called the Reagan’s port call part of a “normal friendly exchange for the sake of peace, stability, cooperation and development in both the region and the world.”

Vietnam needs to balance its sensitive ties with Beijing with the U.S. outreach and domestic opinion, Parameswaran said, noting that polls suggest Vietnam’s people have among the highest levels of pro-U.S. sentiment in Southeast Asia.

Based in Yokosuka, Japan, the USS Ronald Reagan is the only forward-deployed American aircraft carrier. It is due to be replaced in that role next year by the USS George Washington, also a Nimitz-class carrier.