Malaysia

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has launched an investigation into allegations of money-laundering at troubled Malaysian state fund 1MDB, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sept.20 citing an unidentified source. 

Thai authorities have not given any information over claims that a key suspect in the plotting of last month's deadly bombing in Bangkok was last tracked via multiple flights to Turkey, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tanju Bilgiç said Sept. 15.

Malaysia's veteran former leader Mahathir Mohamad returned from an overseas trip on Sept.9 saying he would comply with any police investigation into comments he made against Prime Minister Najib Razak at an anti-government rally last month.

Mahathir has led calls for Najib's resignation over alleged mismanagement and corruption at indebted state investment fund 1MDB. 

Malaysian rescuers have recovered the bodies of 35 more Indonesian migrants killed when their boat sank three days ago, along with another survivor, taking the toll in the disaster to 50, officials said on Sept. 6.

The survivor was recovered on Sept. 4 in the afternoon having spent more than a day in the water and was said to be in good health.

At least 13 people have drowned after a small wooden boat, believed to have been carrying about 70 Indonesian migrants, sank in the Malacca Strait early Sept. 3, Malaysian officials said.

"There's no more rule of law," said Mahathir Mohamad, the 90-year-old grandee who was prime minister of Malaysia for 22 years. "The only way for the people to get back to the old system is for them to remove this prime minister." 

Possible parts of a Russian missile system have been found in eastern Ukraine at the site where the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 crashed last year, according to the Dutch Public Prosecution Service.

Chinese relatives of passengers aboard missing flight MH370 on August 7 demanded to be taken to the Indian Ocean island of Reunion, where a wing part was found that the Malaysian government said was from the plane.

A piece of a wing that washed up on an Indian Ocean island last week was part of the wreckage of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, Malaysia said on Aug. 6, confirming the discovery of the first trace of the plane since it vanished last year.

The aircraft wing fragment found on Reunion Island last week belongs to the missing MH370 plane, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak confirmed on Wednesday.