15/07/2025

TUESDAY | JULY 15, 2025

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Twelve HK democracy activists appeal convictions

S’PORE STEPS UP AID FOR TIMOR-LESTE SINGAPORE: The city-state has launched an enhanced readiness support package to help Timor Leste integrate into the regional bloc. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said the package includes tailored support to ease Timor Leste’s accession to key Asean agreements, training aligned with national priorities and leadership development programmes and scholarships for the next generation of leaders. “Singapore looks forward to welcoming you warmly to the Asean family, and we will continue to stand with you,” Wong said at the official lunch he hosted in honour of Timor-Leste Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao. – Bernama JAKARTA: Indonesian authorities have found the wreckage of the KMP Tunu Pratama Jaya ferry, which sank on the night of July 2 in the Bali Strait near Ketapang in Banyuwangi, East Java. Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said plans were under way to salvage the ferry, which was found roughly 3.9km from its last known position. “The salvage operation will follow strict procedures to ensure safety,” he said. As of yesterday, 30 survivors have been accounted for and 18 people have been confirmed dead, including one Malaysian. The ferry, carrying 12 crew members, 53 passengers and 22 vehicles, left Ketapang Port on July 2 for Bali’s Gilimanuk Port before it issued a distress call at 11.20pm. It sank 15 minutes later. – Bernama 100 MILLION FINGERLINGS RELEASED PHNOM PENH: About 100 million fingerlings will be released into rivers by Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar to replenish dwindling fish stocks and revive the aquatic food chain. Laos is set to release 65 million fingerlings this year, while Myanmar has targeted 35 million and Cambodia 1.5 million juvenile fish. Laos is home to around 500 species of fish, which not only contribute to ecological balance but also form an essential part of the its natural heritage. On Saturday, Myanmar officials released 100,000 fingerlings – golden carp, rohu and silver barbs – into the Yezin Dam in Nay Pyi Taw. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet took part in the National Fish Day on July 1, during which 1.5 million fish, fingerlings and aquatic animals were released into Tonle Sap Lake. – Bernama QUAKE RATTLES EASTERN INDONESIA BENGALURU: An earthquake of magnitude 6.7 struck off the coast of Indonesia’s Tanimbar Islands region yesterday, the country’s geophysics agency said, adding there was no tsunami potential. The quake was at a depth of 98km, the agency said. The German Research Centre for Geosciences reported that the quake was of 6.8 magnitude and at a depth of 10km. Tremors were felt in several small towns in eastern Indonesia. There were no immediate reports of damage, said Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency. Indonesia straddles the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a highly seismically active zone. – Reuters SUNKEN BALI FERRY WRECKAGE FOUND

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a broad cross-section of the city’s opposition in morning raids in 2021, a group later dubbed the “Hong Kong 47”. The group, aged between 27 and 69, included democratically elected lawmakers and district councillors, as well as unionists, academics and others with political stances ranging from modest reformists to radical localists. They were accused of organising or taking part in an unofficial primary election, which aimed to improve the chances of pro democracy parties of winning a majority in the legislature. The activists had hoped to force the government to accede to demands such as universal suffrage by threatening to indiscriminately veto the budget. Three senior judges handpicked by the government to try security cases said the plan would have caused a “constitutional crisis”. – AFP

people found not guilty in May last year from an original group of 47 accused. Lau’s “overall conduct” showed that he was party to the conspiracy and he should be tried again because the lower court made the wrong factual finding, the prosecution argued. Lau, representing himself, replied that the trial court’s findings should not be “casually interfered” with. “... I have never advocated the resignation of the chief executive, I have never advocated the indiscriminate vetoing of the financial budget,” Lau told the court, referring to core tenets of the alleged conspiracy. Beijing has remoulded Hong Kong in its authoritarian image after imposing a sweeping national security law in 2020 following months of huge, and sometimes violent, pro-democracy demonstrations. Authorities arrested figures from

convictions can Hong Kong’s courts begin to restore the city’s global standing as a place where rights are respected and where people are allowed to peacefully express their views without fear of arrest,” Brooks said. Dozens of police officers were deployed outside the West Kowloon court building yesterday as people queued to attend the hearing. “They made a sacrifice ... I hope they understand that Hongkongers have not forgotten them,” said a public hospital worker in his thirties surnamed Chow. A 66-year-old retiree surnamed Chan said the case made him feel “helpless”, adding that fewer people were paying attention as court proceedings dragged on. “I don’t expect any (positive) outcome, but I still want to support them.” Prosecutors began yesterday’s session by challenging the acquittal of lawyer Lawrence Lau, one of two

HONG KONG: A court here began hearing appeals yesterday from 12 democracy campaigners who were jailed for subversion last year during the city’s largest national security trial. They were among 45 opposition figures, including some of Hong Kong’s best-known democracy activists, who were sentenced in November over a 2020 informal primary election that authorities deemed a subversive plot. Critics including the United States, Britain and the European Union said the case showed how a Beijing-imposed national security law has eroded freedoms and quashed peaceful opposition in Hong Kong. Ex-lawmakers “Long Hair” Leung Kwok-hung, Lam Cheuk-ting, Helena Wong and Raymond Chan are among those contesting their convictions and sentences in hearings that are scheduled to last 10 days. Owen Chow, a 28-year-old activist who was sentenced to seven years and nine months in jail, the harshest penalty among the dozen, has also lodged an appeal. Former district councillor Michael Pang withdrew his appeal application yesterday morning, leaving a total of 12 appellants. Some of them have already spent more than four years behind bars. Amnesty International’s China director Sarah Brooks said the appeal will be a “pivotal test” for free expression in the finance hub. “Only by overturning these o Group sentenced over 2020 informal primary election

A prison van arrives at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts building. – REUTERSPIC

Cambodia to implement military conscription next year PHNOM PENH: Cambodia’s military will begin conscription next year, Prime Minister Hun Manet said yesterday, citing rising tensions with Thailand as the reason for activating a long-dormant enlistment law. over into cross-border clashes, killing one Cambodian soldier. months outlined in the legislation passed two decades ago to 24 months, and pledged to “look at increasing” the defence budget. causing the closure of border crossings as Cambodia banned fuel and gas imports from Thailand.

“This episode of confrontation is a lesson for us and is an opportunity for us to review, assess and set our targets to reform our military. “From 2026, the military conscription law will be implemented,” he told a ceremony at the Royal Gendarmerie Training Centre in Kampong Chhnang province. Hun Manet said the service period would be extended from the 18

It also caused a domestic political crisis in Thailand, where Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended from office pending an ethics investigation. A diplomatic call between Paeotongtarn and Hun Manet’s father, Hun Sen, was leaked, sparking a judicial investigation. Thailand already has military conscription for young men. – AFP reiterated its warning to the public, especially parents and teenagers, about the dangers of consuming “cannabis gummies”, which contain THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol). THC, a psychoactive substance with addictive properties, is absorbed into the bloodstream and enters the brain, causing relaxation, euphoria and elevated moods. – Bernama

“Our national defence, the building of our military, is not to invade anybody’s territory but to protect our territory,” he said. The soldier was killed in a firefight in a disputed area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of both countries and Laos meet. The incident soured relations between Phnom Penh and Bangkok – Sasikan said the ministry has already issued suspension orders for the licences of operators who breached the law, while offences such as adding cannabis to food without permission or failing to provide proper labelling carry penalties of up to 30,000 baht (RM3,915) in fines, up to three years’ imprisonment, or both. The Thai government also

Cambodia’s parliament in 2006 approved a law that would require all Cambodians aged 18 to 30 to serve in the military for 18 months, although it has never been enforced. Relations with Thailand have been tense since May, when a long standing territorial dispute boiled

Thailand cracks down on illegal cannabis products BANGKOK: The Thai government is intensifying measures to control the illegal sale of cannabis-infused processed products to protect public health, particularly that of children and young people. Deputy Government health offices to implement strict inspections and enforcement to clamp down on illegal products.

“Public health officials have been authorised to arrest and fine business operators involved in adding cannabis extracts to food and beverages in excess of legal limits. “Where violations are found, cases must be referred to the police,” she said in a statement.

Spokesperson Sasikan Watthanachan said the Thai government has tasked the Public Health Ministry, the Food and Drug Administration and public