AJA Newsbites is a curated roundup of major news and developments from across Asia, brought to you by members of Asia Journalist Association (AJA)
Chhay Sophal, Cambodia News Online, Cambodia
The Royal Government of Cambodia has decided to reduce customs duties and export tax rates on certain goods such as electrical appliances, solar systems, and electric vehicles while oil and gas prices remain significantly high.
According to a notice issued by the General Department of Customs and Excise of Cambodia on Sunday, the decision was made as part of the government’s efforts to ease the burden of living expenses on citizens, as the ongoing war situation in the Middle East has driven up fuel and gas prices.
The adjustment covers customs duty and export tax rates on five main categories of goods. It includes reducing the import duty rate from 7 percent to 0 percent on nine tariff lines including electric vehicle battery chargers, electric rice cookers, and solar lamps. It also includes reducing the import duty rate from 15 percent to 0 percent on 179 tariff lines including electric motors for electric vehicles, solar power systems, lithium batteries such as laptop batteries, aircraft batteries, vehicle batteries, solar batteries and energy storage devices including power banks, power stations and mobile phone batteries, as well as electric heaters, electric kettles, and HEV, PHEV and EV passenger and freight vehicles.
In addition, the import duty rate on 92 tariff lines of PHEV family cars will be reduced from 35 percent to 7 percent. The import duty rate will also be reduced from 35 percent to 0 percent on 179 tariff lines including electric stoves, toaster ovens, and EV family cars covering 12 tariff lines. Furthermore, the export tax rate on bauxite or aluminum ore under one tariff line will be reduced from 25 percent to 10 percent. The new customs duty and export tax rates will take effect from April 1 onward.
Leo Nirosha Darshan, Express Newspapers, Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan authorities have deported 125 Chinese nationals after arresting them for orchestrating large-scale online financial scams. The group was repatriated on March 30 via a chartered flight following high-level coordination between the Sri Lankan Department of Immigration and Emigration and the Chinese government.
The suspects were apprehended on March 17 during a joint raid conducted by military intelligence and immigration officials at several lodges in Anuradhapura. Investigations revealed that the individuals had entered Sri Lanka on tourist and business visas but violated national laws by overstaying and engaging in illicit activities.
A specialized team from China, including immigration officials and medical personnel, arrived in Colombo to oversee the deportation process. The group was escorted by Sri Lankan authorities from the Welisara detention center to the airport. This move underscores a growing regional crackdown on cross-border cybercrime syndicates that use South Asian hubs as bases for fraudulent operations.
Kuban Abdymen, Centralasianlight, Kyrgyzstan
Uzbekistan’s digital asset market reached a record turnover exceeding 2 billion dollars in 2025, according to the National Agency for Perspective Projects of Uzbekistan.
Authorities strengthened regulatory oversight during the year, imposing fines on several foreign crypto platforms for violations. Most companies settled disputes out of court under confidential agreements. The agency also blocked more than 3,000 illegal online resources, including casinos, betting sites, and unregistered trading platforms.
Currently, 21 licensed companies are operating in the country, including three crypto exchanges, 12 crypto shops, and six asset depositories. The legal sector has created more than 200 jobs, while the number of crypto service users has surpassed 663,000, most of whom are Uzbek residents.
Since regulation began in 2022, the industry has contributed over 107 billion soums to the state budget. However, cryptocurrencies remain prohibited as a means of payment for goods and services.
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