Abe is expected to stay in the country for about two nights and three days and have a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other officials to show improvements in bilateral ties, according to a diplomatic source knowledgeable about Japan-China relations.

The visit can be realized only if Abe secures his third consecutive term as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in the LDP presidential election on Sept. 20. It would mark the first visit to China by a Japanese prime minister — other than for international conferences in the country — since a December 2011 visit by then Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda.

Abe is expected to arrive in Beijing on Oct. 23, attend a ceremony to mark the 40th anniversary and visit such places as Shenzhen, Guangdong province, which is home to many start-ups in information technology and other fields, according to the source.

Tokyo and Beijing are slated to hold a forum to discuss cooperation among private firms from both sides in third-party nations with an eye on China’s Belt and Road Initiative to create a massive economic zone. Abe is expected to attend that event.

There are no concrete figures on how many children are still among the estimated 500,000 troops that serve in Myanmar’s military, or the ethnic rebel armies that it battles in the country’s border regions.

The state’s army has released 924 children and young people from its ranks since signing a deal with the United Nations in 2012, according to Friday’s statement released by UN child protection agency UNICEF.

The child soldiers released will have to attend reintegration programmes to return them to civilian life, a process that will contribute to “bringing lasting peace in Myanmar as productive citizens”, the statement added.

Experts say that as long as the army and ethnic armed groups continue warring within Myanmar, children remain at risk of recruitment.

They are usually kidnapped or taken by force from public spaces like parks and train stations in their towns, before being threatened with jail time if they refuse to be conscripted.

UNICEF added in addition to the army there are seven other “persistent perpetrators” that recruit child soldiers including the Kachin Independence Army and the Shan State Army South — both ethnic groups that continue to engage in skirmishes with the Myanmar military.

The fourth Bimstec Summit concluded in Kathmandu yesterday with the member states inking a deal for cross-country energy grid interconnection and reaffirming strong commitment to working out a comprehensive approach to combat terrorism.

In the two-day summit, Bimstec leaders agreed to turn the Bay of Bengal region peaceful and prosperous by building common strengths through collective efforts.

They also agreed to make the organisation a dynamic, effective and result-oriented body for intensifying regional cooperation, alleviating poverty and promoting connectivity, energy and free trade.

The summit ended with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on establishing a Bimstec Grid Interconnection to enhance energy cooperation among the seven member states — Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

The foreign ministers of the countries signed the deal, which is expected to pave the way for buying and selling electricity among Bimstec members once the cross-country energy grids will be put in place.

Diplomatic sources said the MoU would open the door for energy cooperation among the member states of South Asia and South East Asia and would also facilitate the promotion of efficient, economic, and secure operation of power system through the development of regional electricity networks.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bhutan Interim Government Chief Adviser Lyonpo Tshering Wangchuk, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Myanmar President Win Myint, Nepalese Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha attended the summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec).

At the closing session, KP Sharma Oli presented an 18-point draft of the Kathmandu Declaration, which was adopted unanimously.

It included cooperation in areas such as agricultural technology exchange, gradual reduction of climate change impact, boosting trade and investment, blue economy, mountain economy, tourism, cultural cooperation and people-to-people contact.

The Nepalese PM also handed over the chairmanship of the grouping to the Sri Lankan president.

Acknowledging that enhanced inter-linkages and inter-dependence within the economies and societies of the Bimstec member states provide greater opportunity to advance regional cooperation, the summit underlined the importance of multidimensional connectivity for economic integration and shared prosperity.

The declaration acknowledged the importance of trade and investment as one of the major contributing factors for fostering economic and social development in the region.

The Kathmandu Declaration deplored terrorist attacks in all parts of the world, including in Bimstec countries, and strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms.

“Affirm that the fight against terrorism should target not only terrorists, terror organisations and networks but also identify and hold accountable States and non-State entities that encourage, support or finance terrorism, provide sanctuaries to terrorists and terror groups and falsely extol their virtues,” the Declaration said.

The Bimstec member states reiterated their strong commitment to combat terrorism and called upon all countries to devise a comprehensive approach in this regard which should include preventing financing of terrorists and terrorist actions from territories under their control, blocking recruitment and cross-border movement of terrorists, countering radicalisation, tackling misuse of internet for purposes of terrorism and dismantling terrorist safe havens.

The summit agreed to expedite the conclusion of Bimstec Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters and called upon the member states for its early ratification. It also expressed satisfaction that many member states have ratified the Bimstec Convention on Cooperation in Combating International Terrorism, Transnational Organized Crime and Illicit Drug Trafficking.

Besides, the summit agreed to establish seamless multi-modal transportation linkages and smooth, synchronised and simplified transit facilities through the development, expansion and modernisation of highways, railways, waterways, sea routes and airways in the region.

It was also decided to speed up the efforts to conclude the Bimstec Coastal Shipping Agreement and the Bimstec Motor Vehicle Agreement as early as possible taking into account the special circumstances and needs of the member states.

Additionally, the grouping decided for an early conclusion of Bimstec Free Trade Area (FTA) negotiations, and directed the Bimstec Trade and Economic Ministerial Meeting and its subsidiary bodies, including the Trade Negotiating Committee, to expedite finalisation of all related agreements of the Bimstec FTA as early as possible.

The summit also called for exploring the possibility of establishing a Bimstec development fund with voluntary contributions from the member states. The fund would be utilised for research and planning of Bimstec and financing of projects, and other activities of the regional organisation, according to the Kathmandu Declaration.

The assailant was identified as an 19-year-old Afghan man with a German residency permit.

“We are seriously taking into account that there was a terrorist motive,” Amsterdam police spokesman Frans Zuiderhoek told AFP.

Earlier witnesses described scenes of panic as gunshots rang out and thousands of commuters and tourists were evacuated from the rail terminus shortly after midday.

“A man in the west side tunnel of Amsterdam Central Station stabbed two other people and directly after that he was shot by the police,” another police spokesman Rob van der Veen said, adding terrorism was not being ruled out by investigators.

“The two people are very badly injured, and they were brought to the hospital,” he said.

“We are looking at all scenarios, also the worst scenario, which is terrorism.”

One witness said he saw a young man “stumble” into his flower shop at the station with a bleeding wound to his hand.

“Shortly afterwards I heard some shots and I know something has gone badly wrong,” Richard Snelders told the ANP news agency. A while later he saw another man lying on the ground nearby, he said.

“The first thing that comes up in your mind is that it’s a terror attack. After all, you are at Amsterdam Central Station. There was a lot of panic,” Snelders said.

‘Stay down’

Police quickly arrived at the scene with video images showing police ordering the suspect in English to “stay down” after he had been shot.

Images posted on social media showed security guards ushering passengers towards exits and paramedics arriving at the scene with stretchers.

Police spokesman Zuiderhoek said the knifeman’s condition was not life-threatening, but that he had been shot in the lower body.

“At this moment he is under police custody in hospital. He is being questioned about his motive,” Zuiderhoek added.

Dutch police were also in close contact with their German counterparts in regards to the suspect’s background, he added.

Two platforms at the station — located in the Dutch capital’s historic canal-ringed city centre — had been evacuated and closed off to passengers, police said, and were reopened for rail traffic two hours later.

A special police department opened a routine probe into why police shot the man.

The Netherlands has so far been spared from the slew of terror attacks which have rocked its closest European neighbours in the past few years.

But amid a number of scares and reports that people linked to some of those attacks may have crossed briefly into the country, top Dutch security and intelligence officials have stressed that the threat level is substantial.

Police declined to speculate on the reasons for Friday’s incident, but the Afghan Taliban in a statement Thursday called for attacks on Dutch troops following plans by Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders to stage a Prophet Mohammed cartoon competition in the Dutch parliament.

Wilders, who received several death threats has since cancelled the competition which has angered Muslims and sparked protests, saying he wanted to “avoid the risk of making people victims of Islamist violence”.

Around 250,000 people travel through Central Station every day, according to statistics provided by the Amsterdam.info travel guide.

The regional forum criticised for its lack of a dedicated charter and institutional capability to fulfil its objectives reached a series of agreements and decisions in the past few days on building BIMSTEC’s institutional capacity.

According to the Kathmandu Declaration, leaders of the region resolved to leverage BIMSTEC’s unique position as a bridge between South and Southeast Asia, and to make it an effective platform to promote peace, prosperity and sustainability.

The summit also decided to draft the organisation’s charter, defining its long-term vision and priorities for cooperation. The draft will be considered by the BIMSTEC Permanent Working Committee for its adoption by the fifth summit to be held in Sri Lanka, the declaration read. The date of the fifth summit is yet to be decided.

Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan, and Nepal agreed to establish a BIMSTEC Permanent Working Committee to deal with the administrative and financial matters of its Dhaka-based secretariat and the BIMSTEC centres and entities as well as develop the Rules of Procedure for the BIMSTEC mechanisms.

There has also been agreement to enhance the institutional capacity of the secretariat by increasing the number of directors to seven, one each from the member states. The heads of state or government that met on Thursday and Friday agreed to explore the possibility of establishing a BIMSTEC Development Fund, with voluntary contributions from the member states.

One of the major achievements of the summit was signing the memorandum of understanding on BIMSTEC grid interconnection.

“This is my firm conviction that this Summit has been a significant step towards making BIMSTEC a dynamic, effective and result-oriented regional organisation,” Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said in his closing remarks on Friday.

According to Oli, enhancing connectivity, fostering trade and investment, promoting cooperation on energy, and tourism are the key decisions of the summit.

As the two-day event emphasised multi-dimensional connectivity, trade, and investment as keys to economic integration, leaders of the bloc have directed officials to conclude the BIMSTEC Coastal Shipping Agreement and the BIMSTEC Motor Vehicle Agreement as early as possible.

The summit also called for early adoption of the BIMSTEC Master Plan on transport connectivity and assigned the BIMSTEC Transport Connectivity Working Group to prepare the modalities for its implementation. The $50 billion project would have 167 connectivity-related components.

The summit agreed to take concrete steps to promote intra-BIMSTEC tourism while reaffirming commitment to developing and promoting Buddhist Tourist Circuit, Temple Tourist Circuit, ancient cities trail, eco-tourism and medical tourism. Nepal proposed hosting a BIMSTEC tourism conclave in 2020 coinciding with the Visit Nepal Year.

Former foreign secretary and ambassador Madhu Ram Acharya argued that the Kathmandu summit had been crucial to BIMSTEC for its institutional growth. “The decision to strengthen the secretariat, formation of standing committee, creating development funds and setting up other mechanisms shows that it is headed for institutionalisation,” said Acharya.

Major agreements:

To establish a BIMSTEC Permanent Working Committee

To draft the charter for the organisation

To develop the rules of procedure for the BIMSTEC mechanisms

To explore the possibility of establishing a BIMSTEC Development Fund

Early conclusion of the BIMSTEC Coastal Shipping Agreement and the BIMSTEC Motor Vehicle Agreement

To promote intra-BIMSTEC tourism

It will be the first time that a US President has skipped the US-Asean and East Asia Summits since 2013 when then-president Barack Obama, dealing with a government shutdown at home, sent his vice-president Joe Biden.

Privately, since Mr Trump’s June 12 summit in Singapore with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, diplomats have doubted whether the President, who is known not to be fond of long haul travel, would travel a second time to Singapore for the Asean and EAS summits, followed by the Apec summit in Papua New Guinea.

Mr Trump is attending a military parade in Paris on Nov 11 commemorating the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I. He will then visit Ireland, and later in the month Argentina for the Group of 20, and Colombia for discussions on security, counter narcotics, and regional affairs, the White House said.

He is also due to address the UN General Assembly in New York in the second half of November.

Additionally, the aftermath of the US’ Nov 6 mid-term election could be politically fraught for Mr Trump if the Republican Party loses its majority in the House of Representatives.

Vice-President Pence, who has in many respects been the perfect unflappable understudy to the mercurial President, will “highlight the United States’ vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific, based on respect for sovereignty, the rule of law, and the principles of free, fair, and reciprocal trade,” the White House said.

“The Vice-President looks forward to meeting with our allies and partners from across the region to advance security, prosperity, and freedom for all,” the statement added.

Still, the President will miss meeting among others, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Yet, it will also be an opportunity for leaders to meet and get to know Mr Pence, diplomats said.

Washington has long been the UN Relief and Works Agency’s (UNRWA) largest donor but is “no longer willing to shoulder the very disproportionate share of the burden,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

Just hours after the Palestinians warned such a move would further undermine the already flailing chances of peace with Israel, Nauert said there would be no additional contributions beyond a $60 million dollar payment made in January.

“The United States will no longer commit further funding to this irredeemably flawed operation,” Nauert added.

There have been widespread warnings about the impact about a halt to funding from the US which contributed $350 million to UNRWA’s budget last year.

The agency supports some five million registered Palestinian refugees and provides schooling for 526,000 children in the Palestinian territories as well as in camps in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan.

Fears over funding have already led to warnings from UNRWA that it may have to permanently shut all the 711 schools that it runs after recent temporary closures.

And while there was some relief for the agency on Thursday when Germany said it would provide additional funding, UNRWA’s director Pierre Krahenbuhl said earlier this week that the agency needs $200 million to continue its work until the end of this year.

The United States also announced last week that it was canceling more than $200 million in bilateral aid to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

Nauert said the US would “intensify dialogue with the United Nations, host governments, and international stakeholders about new models and new approaches” to help alleviate any impact on Palestinian children.

“We are very mindful of and deeply concerned regarding the impact upon innocent Palestinians, especially school children, of the failure of UNRWA and key members of the regional and international donor community to reform and reset the UNRWA way of doing business,” she added.

– ‘US losing peacemaker status’ –

The Palestinian ambassador to Washington, Hossam Zomlot, had earlier said that the US would be guilty of “reneging on its international commitment and responsibility” if reports that funding was to end were confirmed.

“By endorsing the most extreme Israeli narrative on all issues including the rights of more than five million Palestinian refugees, the US administration has lost its status as peacemaker and is damaging not only an already volatile situation but the prospects for future peace,” Zomlot said in a statement to AFP.

Israel and the United States have both accused UNRWA of perpetuating the Israel-Palestinian crisis by maintaining the idea of the right of return — that Palestinians will be able to return to the homes from which they fled.

And both governments say the UN as whole is biased against Israel, pointing to its long history of votes in the General Assembly against the Jewish state.

The Palestinian Authority has refused all contact with Washington since US President Donald Trump announced late last year that he was unilaterally recognizing Jerusalem — which is claimed by both Israel and the Palestinians — as the Israeli capital, making the US one of very few countries to do so.

The Palestinians were further enraged by the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem on May 14, which was attended by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has been tasked with trying to revive the essentially moribund Middle East peace process.

Kushner has publicly questioned Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas’ willingness to make concessions to secure peace.

Palestinian officials have countered that the Trump administration has come up with “nothing of substance” in trying to end the decades-old conflict despite the US president’s stated confidence of securing what he calls “the ultimate deal.”

The idea to acquire submarines is not new.  But Philippine Navy chief Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad raised it during a Senate hearing early this year, and it has been frequently part of the news since.

But for Alexander Neill, Shangri-La Dialogue Senior Fellow for Asia Pacific Security at the International Institute of Strategic Studies in Singapore, it is important to develop a proficient surface fleet and coast guard first before shifting to submarines.

“The surface fleet could develop anti-submarine warfare capabilities using towed sonar arrays and sub-surface weapons platforms as part of a sub-surface deterrence campaign without having to spend huge amounts of money developing a submarine capability,” Neill told INQUIRER.net.

‘Overly ambitious’

Euan Graham, director of the International Security Program at the Australian-based Lowy Institute, said the Navy’s top priority must be marine resource and sovereignty protection role, which surface vessels can do much better than submarines. The Philippines, after all, has one of the longest coastlines in the world.

“The Philippine Navy must learn to swim again before it can dive,” he said.

The Philippine military, seen as one of the weakest in Asia, is currently modernizing itself amid various external and internal security concerns.

Graham sees the Philippines’ urgent plans of purchasing submarines as “overly ambitious with a high opportunity cost” and could be a “wasteful diversion of resources.”

“It could suck up resources badly needed for modernization elsewhere, with the added risk that it would not end up delivering the desired deterrent capability,” he said.

On Wednesday night, the Philippine Navy’s flagship BRP Gregorio del Pilar (FF-15), a former US Coast Guard Cutter, ran aground while on a routine mission in the West Philippine Sea.

Graham said this only shows that the Navy is still learning the handling of bigger vessels.

“In my view, the onus should be on acquiring and maintaining a surface fleet to patrol within archipelagic waters, and perhaps aspire to a localized ‘sea control’ capability in surrounding seas,” he said.

One of BRP Gregorio del Pilar’s sister ship, BRP Ramon Alcaraz (FF-16), is in Australia this week for the Exercise Kakadu, an international maritime exercise.

The Navy’s two warships, BRP Davao del Sur (LD-602) and BRP Andres Bonifacio (FF-17), returned home this week from Hawaii after participating at the Rim of the Pacific (Rimpac) exercise, the world’s largest maritime drills. Graham noted the training and diplomatic benefits from this kind of multilateral drills.

“I hope that trajectory can be maintained,” he said.

‘Not yet decided’

At a budget hearing at the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana admitted that the purchase and maintenance of the submarines are really expensive that they have not yet decided whether to buy despite the media hype.

“I think the senior AFP officials are not yet decided on that. We’re still trying to look, canvass all the available platforms all over the world,” he said.

“A lot of people, defense attaches from the US, Australia say napaka-mahal i-maintain. It might consume the whole budget of the Philippine Navy, yung isa. So we will study all these angles before we decide to buy any of these vessels,” he added.

Lorenzana earlier said they are interested to buy at least two submarines for the Navy as a strategic deterrence to foreign navies.

Russia, South Korea, France, Japan, and India are among the possible sources of the submarines cited by the defense chief.

“It is a very good deterrent capability. If we have at least two na nagtatago sa mga kalaban, magdalawang-isip silang pumunta dito. But it’s still in the planning stage,” he said.

Aside from the two brand new missile-capable frigates, the Navy is expecting in 2020, Lorenzana said they are finalizing the plans to acquire six offshore patrol vessels from an Australian company with a shipyard in Cebu.

“Babayaran muna ang dalawa, ‘yung apat (ipapautang), which is a very good deal,” he said.

While the Philippine defense establishment appears driven in getting submarines soon, it has no intention to go to an arms race with its mightier neighbors, Lorenzana explained to lawmakers.

Analysts have warned of an arms race in the region as a response to China’s increased defense spending and advancing territorial claims in the bitterly-contested South China Sea, where the Philippines is one of the claimants.

“These submarines will not be an offensive weapon. Basically, this is a defensive weapon to deter any aggressor. We are not in an arms race. We can’t have an arms race with our neighbors who are much wealthier than us like China, Japan or even Indonesia. Mas marami silang income to splurge on this kind of equipment,” he said.

For years, places like shopping malls have collected NRIC numbers when registering customers for lucky draws and memberships or even to track parking redemptions.

But the updated rules mean organisations will no longer be allowed to do that.

Organisations that have collected NRIC numbers are also encouraged to assess if they need to retain these numbers, and if not, are suggested to dispose of them responsibly and in compliance with Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) disposal methods by next year.

“In today’s digital economy, indiscriminate collection or negligent handling of NRIC numbers can increase the risk of unintended disclosure and may result in NRIC numbers being used for illegal activities such as identity theft or fraud,” the commission said in a release on Friday (Aug 31).

It added that such risks arise as the NRIC number is a permanent and irreplaceable identifier.

Companies were also warned that unless required by the law, physically holding on to an individual’s NRIC will not be allowed as well from Sept 1.

Although the Act already prohibits the indiscriminate collection of consumers’ personal data, and requires organisations to account for the use of the data, privacy advocates argued that NRIC details were still being collected, sometimes for frivolous reasons. These ranged from booking a movie ticket to renting a bicycle.

Following public feedback, the privacy watchdog proposed updated guidelines which were then put up for public consultation from November to December last year, before the stricter rules were developed.

There are, however, exceptions.

NRIC numbers or copies of the NRIC can only be obtained or shared if they are required by law, such as when subscribing to a new phone line, making a doctor’s appointment or checking into a hotel.

NRIC details may also be collected when it is necessary to precisely verify an individual’s identity “to a high degree of fidelity”.

This would include visiting pre-schools or transactions involving healthcare, financial or real estate matters, and when not getting it could risk security or could cause significant harm.

“Where the collection, use and disclosure of NRIC numbers or retention of physical NRICs is permitted, organisations must ensure that adequate protection measures are in place to safeguard the personal data in their possession or under their control, in compliance with their obligations under the PDPA,” added the commission.

These updated guidelines do not apply to the government or any public agency or organisation that is acting on its behalf.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, a Smart Nation and Digital Government Office spokesperson said that the government is the issuing authority for the NRIC and that it rightfully uses it to “discharge its functions and services with citizens in a secure manner”.

Added the spokesman: “Nevertheless, the government will review its processes to ensure that public agencies limit the use of NRIC numbers, and the retention of physical NRICs, to transactions where such use is required by law or is necessary to accurately establish the identities of individuals.”

Organisations that are found flouting the Act can be fined up to S$1mil (RM3mil).

These updated rules for NRIC numbers also apply to other national identification numbers, like birth certificate numbers, foreign identification numbers and work permit numbers.

Although passports are periodically replaced, the commission said that organisations should avoid collecting the full passport numbers of individuals as well, unless justified.

It acknowledged that some organisations collect a partial NRIC number and clarified that details of up to the last three numerical digits and letter of the NRIC would not be considered the full NRIC number.

But it added that these partial numbers are still considered personal data under the Act, as it could allow an individual to be identified.

The privacy watchdog reiterated that organisations that collect partial NRIC numbers must still comply with the Act’s Data Protection Provisions, and must take steps to make sure this data is secured and not disclosed.

It said it does not prescribe the type of identifiers that organisations can use instead of NRIC numbers, and that organisations are encouraged to assess these alternatives based on their own needs.

Some alternatives it suggested include organisation or user-generated ID, tracking numbers or organisation-issued QR codes.

The commission said it will, together with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), help organisations adjust by publishing a technical guide on replacing the NRIC number with alternative identifiers.

The commission and IMDA will identify pre-approved technology solutions that companies can take up.

They will also develop template notices that organisations can use to manage customer expectations during this transition period.

Magen Appathurai, a producer at Biscuit Films, a Petaling Jaya-based company that offers production support services to foreign companies looking to film in Malaysia, shared the locations in Malaysia which served as backdrops for the much talked-about movie.

“The movie producer Tim Coddington called and showed me pictures of mansions in Thailand. He asked if I could find any locations like that in Malaysia?” Magen said when contacted by The Star.

Magen pitched Carcosa Seri Negara for the setting of the fictional Tyersall Park estate, where movie protagonist Nick’s (Henry Golding) grandmother lives in a giant mansion.

“I said we had more in common with Singapore in terms of food, language and the way we looked,” he said. “It would make more sense to try and ­create Singapore in Malaysia.”

Eventually, Magen convinced Coddington to forgo Thailand and film Crazy Rich Asians in Malaysia instead.

Apart from Carcosa Seri Negara, key locations in the movie include St Regis Kuala Lumpur (where character Astrid was introduced), Belanda house (scene for Eleanor’s bible study group) in Kuala Lumpur, and the Cheong Fatt Sze mansion (mahjong showdown between Eleanor and Rachel) in Penang.

In the film, there were scenes that took place in New York and London that were actually all filmed in Malaysia too!

“The opening hotel scene in London? That was filmed at E&O Hotel in Penang. The New York restaurant scene was actually filmed at BLVD House, Naza Towers at Platinum Park in KL.

“And the scene where Rachel is teaching her students in a university? That was in an auditorium in Putrajaya,” Magen shared.

Magen also revealed that the inside of an AirAsia plane in KLIA2 was used for a scene in the film.

“Do you remember this scene where all the socialites are waiting for their private jet? That was at an airport hangar in Subang Jaya,” he added.

A set for a luxurious first-class airline cabin was built for the film at the Malaysia International Exhibition & Convention Centre (MIECC) in Serdang, Selangor.

A bachelor party scene which took place on a ship in the movie was also filmed in MIECC.

Parts of Langkawi in Kedah, especially the Four Seasons Hotel, were the setting for a private island getaway.

There is a scene that took place in Rawa Island that was also filmed in Langkawi.

He shared that the production company spent more than five weeks filming in Malaysia and about 120 local crew members were involved in the process.

Biscuit Films also engaged local casting director Jerrica Lai to provide acting talents for Crazy Rich Asians.

“That’s how the likes of Carmen Soo (who played a socialite) and Calvin Wong (the geeky brother to Peik Lin played by Awkwafina) became a part of the movie,” he said.

Magen said it felt good to see how Malaysia was featured in the movie.

“I hope that more support can be given to help us bring in more foreign productions into the country. It’s a positive thing because we can create more job opportunities, and get investments to improve facilities,” he said.

“Malaysia has so much to offer as a film location, and we need to let more people be aware of that.”