10/07/2025

THURSDAY | JULY 10, 2025

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Malaysian Paper

/thesundaily /

Taiwan war games focus on decentralising command

DANAS TRIGGERS FLOOD WARNINGS IN EASTERN CHINA BEIJING: Tropical storm Danas drenched eastern China yesterday, triggering flash flood alerts and school closures as it tracked across the country’s high-tech industrial heartland. Chinese weather authorities urged residents to stay indoors as the storm, which has weakened from a typhoon after claiming two lives in Taiwan, began dumping the water it had sucked up over the South China Sea and blew southwest at winds of around 50kph. Danas was moving across the provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian towards Jiangxi and Guangdong and is forecast to deposit as much as 300mm of rain in some parts. Local officials along rivers feeding key ports in the cities of Fuzhou and Xiamen were bracing for rising water levels, China’s state broadcaster CCTV said, while local maritime authorities across the region suspended passenger shipping operations. Schools in Fuzhou shut yesterday. – Reuters QANTAS CONFIRMS PERSONAL DATA OF CUSTOMERS LEAKED SYDNEY: Qantas Airways said yesterday more than a million customers had their phone number, birth date or home address accessed in one of the country’s biggest cyber breaches in years. The airline operator said another four million customers had just their name and email address taken during the hack. After disclosing a cyberattack last week, Qantas said yesterday that the breached database contained unique personal information of 5.7 million customers, after removing duplicate records from the initial six million affected. There is no evidence that any personal data of the customers has been released and the company is actively monitoring the situation, Qantas said in a statement. “Since the incident, we have put in place a number of additional cyber security measures to further protect our customer data, and are continuing to review what happened,” said Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson. – Reuters CELEBRITY CHEF DISMAYED OVER RECIPE USED BY KILLER MELBOURNE: One of Australia’s most famous chefs said she was dismayed to learn convicted killer Erin Patterson partially used her recipe when baking a poisonous beef Wellington that killed three people. Patterson was found guilty this week of murdering her husband’s parents and elderly aunt in 2023 by lacing their Saturday lunch with lethal death cap mushrooms. She based the dish, poisonous fungi aside, on a recipe by chef Nagi Maehashi, the author of best-selling cookbooks. Maehashi said her recipe for the perfect beef Wellington had become “entangled in a tragic situation”. “It is of course upsetting to learn that one of my recipes, possibly the one I’ve spent more hours perfecting than any other, something I created to bring joy and happiness, is entangled in a tragic situation.” – AFP FOUR CANADIANS HELD OVER ANTI-GOVT PLOT NEW YORK: Four men, including members of the Canadian Armed Forces, have been arrested for allegedly founding an “anti-government militia” and making plans to seize land in the province of Quebec, German Press Agency (dpa) reported. Three suspects aged between 24 and 25 are accused of promoting terrorist activities, while a 33-year-old man has been charged with weapons possession, among other offences, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said on Tuesday. Police seized 16 explosive devices, 83 weapons and accessories, around 11,000 rounds of ammunition, almost 130 magazines, night vision equipment, and other military gear during searches in Quebec. The men are also said to have taken part in military-style training, shooting and survival exercises. – Bernama

BR I E F S

o Nothing but a bluff: China

The annual Han Kuang exercises this year will mobilise the largest number of reservists, some 22,000, and for the first time feature new High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or Himars, made by Lockheed Martin, along with Taiwan-developed Sky Sword surface-to-air missiles. Some 300 reserve troops were seen moving into classrooms of a junior high school in the city of Taoyuan emptied for summer holidays, receiving instruction in mortars and rifles. China views Taiwan as its own and has intensified military pressure around the island over the last five years. Taiwanese defence officials said they believed that the Chinese military would be closely monitoring the drills. By 6am, Taiwan had detected 31 Chinese aircraft sorties and seven naval ships, the Defence Ministry said in a statement. Some 24 of the aircraft crossed the median line, the unofficial barrier between the two sides. China’s Ministry of Commerce added eight Taiwan firms to its export control list, banning exports of dual use products, the Xinhua news

agency reported yesterday. The list includes the Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation. As they evolve, the drills will feature 24-hour operations army, naval and air operations to defend Taiwan coasts. Civil defence elements will also be tested, including the creation of emergency supply stations as well as the use of Taiwan’s recently expanded air raid shelters. China’s Defence Ministry said on Tuesday that Taiwan’s Han Kuang military exercises were “nothing but a bluff”. “No matter what weapons are used, Taiwan can’t resist the People’s Liberation Army’s sharp sword against independence,” said ministry spokesperson Jiang Bin. Regional military attaches and analysts say the drills are being closely watched, both for China’s response and to gauge improvements in Taiwanese resilience. President Lai Ching-te and his government strongly object to China’s sovereignty claims, saying it is up to the island’s people to decide their future. – Reuters

TAIPEI: Taiwan launched its largest ever military drills yesterday, starting with simulated attacks on its command systems and infrastructure in the event of an invasion. The early stages of the annual Han Kuang exercises will focus on testing how Taiwan’s military can decentralise command in a crippling communications attack. Over the next 10 days, the drills will expand to assess Taiwan’s combat readiness against a full-scale attempt to seize the island. “We are learning from the situation in Ukraine,” said one senior defence official, highlighting the need to protect command and communication systems. “Commanders have to think what issues their troops might face and they need to pass them down to their subordinates,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Cyber attacks and misinformation campaigns are seen by Taiwan as high intensity “grey zone” actions that are likely to precede a broader Chinese assault.

Reservists taking part in a shooting drill in central Taiwan yesterday. – AFPPIC

Yoon attends hearing on detention warrant SEOUL: Former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol (pic) appeared yesterday at a court court, holding flags and signs, chanting “President Yoon” and “Yoon Again” in the stifling heat of about 35º C.

Myung was elected last month and has been looking at additional charges, including accusations that Yoon mobilised presidential guards to stop authorities from arresting him in January. He was previously taken into custody over the earlier criminal investigation, but was released from jail after 52 days on technical grounds. The detention warrant request was made on the grounds of Yoon posing a flight risk and concerns that he might interfere with witnesses linked to his case, local media reported, citing the special prosecutors’ request. If Yoon is detained, he is expected to be held at the Seoul Detention Centre, and the special prosecution is expected to speed up an investigation into additional allegations, including whether Yoon hurt South Korea’s interests by intentionally inflaming tensions with North Korea. – Reuters

here, which is considering a special prosecutor’s request to detain him as part of an investigation into his botched bid to impose martial law. The Seoul Central District Court began hearing arguments from the special counsel team investigating Yoon’s martial law decree in December and from Yoon’s legal team on the request to detain the deposed president over allegations of abuse of power and obstruction of justice.

Scores of police officers and dozens of buses formed a tight security cordon in front of Yoon’s house as well as around the court. Yoon was ousted in April by the Constitutional Court, which upheld his impeachment by parliament for his martial law bid that shocked South Koreans and triggered months of political turmoil, entrenching already deep divisions in the country.

The former conservative president is already under a criminal trial on charges that his attempt to rule the country using martial law amounted to an insurrection, a charge that is punishable by a life sentence or even death. But the investigation has picked up pace since the special prosecution began its investigation after liberal President Lee Jae

After the hearing, Yoon will await the court’s decision at the Seoul Detention Centre, about 20km south of the capital, the special prosecutor said. Yoon, who was wearing a dark navy suit and a red tie, did not answer questions from reporters as he entered the court building. About 100 supporters gathered near the