Vietnam Detains Two for Anti-State 'Propaganda'; Malaysia Says Power Rangers Not Too Gay; Microsoft Woos Chinese Communist Party; Foreigners Barred from Tibetan Complex

Vietnam:

Bui Hieu Vo, 55, and Phan Kim Khanh, 24, were detained for investigation of "propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam", the government said on its Facebook page on Wednesday. - Reuters via Tuoi Tre News

Malaysia:

The Film Censorship Board (LPF) said it has not found the film 'Power Rangers' to contain any element related to alternative sexuality, and has therefore allowed the movie to be screened. - Malaysiakini

China, United States:

Microsoft Corp. has finished development of a Windows 10 version customized for Chinese government use, which could boost its China prospects after sales were hit by Beijing’s cybersecurity crackdown. - The Wall Street Journal

China:

Tourists and other foreign visitors are being kept away from the large Yachen Gar Tibetan Buddhist complex in western China’s Sichuan province, as authorities move to reduce its population of monks and nuns, a French journalist and recent traveler to the area says. - Radio Free Asia (Untied States)

North Korea:

A North Korean missile fired Wednesday exploded "within seconds of launch," according to US Pacific Command. - CNN

The failure [of the missile launch] will reassure nations worried about the speed of Pyongyang’s missile development. - The Washington Post

A man wanted by the police to facilitate investigations into last month's murder of Kim Jong-nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was recorded busy playing snooker at the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. - Bernama via Malaysiakini

Hong Kong:

Resentment simmers as committee stacked with Beijing loyalists prepares to pick new chief executive. - Financial Times

Taiwan:

Activists yesterday welcomed proposals to transfer the review of supervisory articles governing negotiations with China to a joint legislative committee, calling for amendments and hastening the review process. - Taipei Times

Myanmar:

By-elections around the country scheduled for April 1 have highlighted regional power imbalances and differences between the National League for Democracy (NLD) and local ethnic parties. - The Irrawaddy

Indonesia:

Indonesia has expressed its concerns over the United States' stance against open and free trade, which gives a bleak outlook for the future of global commerce. - Jakarta Globe

Philippines:

Nine men, six of them crime gang suspects, were killed in separate incidents in Luzon in the past two days. - The Philippine Star

South Korea:

The sunken ferry Sewol began emerging from the water in a massive salvage operation early Thursday, nearly three years after the ship sank and left more than 300 dead or missing in one of the country's worst maritime disasters. - The Korea Times