Future Southeast Asia News [17 Dec 2025]

Leaking Jakarta seawall, the future tallest building in Laos, KL–JB train debuts, how Changi T5 will be built, Bangkok plans to nationalise urban railways, test flights for Long Thanh International Airport

Author

James Clark
December 17, 2025

The Future Southeast Asia Newsletter features transport and urban development news in Southeast Asia, edited by James Clark.

Future Southeast Asia articles

Recent articles

Kulim International Airport is a proposed airport and aerotropolis located in the state of Kedah, northwest Malaysia. The proposed location is in the south of Kedah, next to Penang.

Old Town renovations, Merdeka 118 (the tallest building in Southeast Asia), Maybank leaves its mark on KL, pocket parks, KLCC and laying the foundation for the future tallest building in Southeast Asia, Bukit Bintang wants to be the Ginza of KL, update on Gombak Station (the KL station for the East Coast Rail Link).

Upgrade to Premium to read the latest articles or browse the full index of articles.

Premium is $5 per month or $50 per year. Your subscription helps support this site.

News

"And why Shanghai and Tokyo are not."

🇰🇭 Cambodia

🇮🇩 Indonesia

"Several parts of a concrete seawall in Muara Baru, North Jakarta that are leaking, which has led to tidal flooding in dozens of neighborhood units (RT) as well as in a city amusement park."

• Pollution is not 'new normal' (archive) [The Jakarta Post]

"Jakartans must take the lead in controlling the city's air quality instead of waiting for an official response, especially after alarming reports showing that pollution is seeping into our homes at higher, more dangerous levels than in the air outside."

🇱🇦 Laos

"Construction is underway on the Lao Center Project, the tallest hotel and condominium development in the country. Rising 46 storeys in Phapho Village, Sisattanak District, Vientiane, the mixed-use complex is expected to be completed and open to the public in 2028."

"The funds will be used to supply heavy machinery needed for the repair and improvement of bridges and roads, with a special focus on Route 8, which has been severely affected by flooding in recent years, especially this year when floods hampered trade and travel for thousands of people."

🇲🇾 Malaysia

"With the Johor Baru-Kuala Lumpur Electric Train Service (ETS) beginning operations, the state government has been urged to improve access to both the Kempas Baru and JB Sentral stations to prevent further congestion in the city."

"Rail doesn’t just transport people; it creates places, with stations becoming centres of activity."

"The state could be transformed into a model for climate-resilient heritage cities."

 🇲🇲 Myanmar

🇵🇭 Philippines

"The government is expected to award the contract to complete the long-delayed common station linking Metro Manila’s railways to the private operator of the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) in the first quarter of next year."

"Government funds meant to protect communities were allegedly stolen, leaving villages flooded and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. confronting a political and economic reckoning."

🇸🇬 Singapore

🇹🇭 Thailand

"The government is preparing a 160-billion-baht plan to buy back concessions on four major electric train lines in Bangkok in a first phase of rail reform, with the aim of making the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) the single owner of the network and switching to 30-year “Operations and Maintenance” (O&M) contracts with private firms."

🇻🇳 Vietnam

News tips

News articles of interest to Future Southeast Asia readers can be shared on the Future Southeast Asia News Facebook Group. Join the group to read and discuss the articles.

If you would prefer to discuss a project privately, contact me at:

futuresoutheastasia @ gmail . com.

Thanks for reading the Future Southeast Asia Newsletter!

Help this newsletter grow by forwarding it to a friend and sharing it online.

Follow Future Southeast Asia on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

…

James Clark (LinkedIn)

Reply

or to participate.