22/12/2025

MONDAY | DEC 22, 2025

7 Simple plea from hard-hit villagers

‘Good conduct’ required for citizenship: Court SEOUL: A court here has upheld an earlier decision by the Justice Ministry to deny naturalisation to a foreign national over his past criminal record, Yonhap News Agency reported. According to legal sources yesterday, the Seoul Administrative Court dismissed a lawsuit filed by a foreigner, who had sought to overturn the ministry’s rejection of his naturalisation application. The applicant, whose nationality was not disclosed, had applied for a South Korean passport after marrying a South Korean citizen. After the couple divorced, the legal basis for his application changed, and the ministry rejected the request, citing his record. The ministry ruled that the person failed to meet the “good conduct” requirement under the Nationality Act. The foreigner was once referred to juvenile protection proceedings for aggravated theft and was also fined for driving without a licence. The person argued that despite his record, the Justice Ministry was too harsh in denying his naturalisation application. However, the administrative court said he was a repeat offender over an extended period, and his offences could not be considered minor. The court also pointed out that the person had not initially disclosed his criminal history when applying for naturalisation. The court noted that the ministry was not excessive in its decision because the foreigner is still allowed to stay in South Korea based on his F-6, marriage migrant visa, and may reapply for naturalisation at a later date. – Bernama The Humanitarian Mission to Sumatra organised by Humanitarian Care Malaysia in collaboration with Econsave Cash & Carry Sdn Bhd will be inthe region until tomorrow. – Bernama clothing, napkins, mosquito nets and temporary shelters are urgently needed, even as assistance from non governmental organisations and the government has begun to arrive in the area. Electric poles have begun to be repaired, while communal kitchens, set up by non governmental organisations and private companies, have started operating to provide food for flood victims. During the two days the writer was there, she witnessed residents willing to wade barefoot through thick mud to reach the disaster operations centre in search of aid – some with injured feet, others needing assistance to make the journey. Kampung Geudumbak village head M. Daud Husin said about 1,000 residents from 450 families, live in the area, adding that more than 150ha of villagers’ gardens in the upper part of the village were destroyed, causing them to lose their sources of income overnight. “Almost 90% of the houses in this village were also destroyed,” he said, adding that residents are in urgent need of basic assistance, such as temporary shelter tents and toilets. According to the latest data from the National Agency for Disaster Management, a total of 1,090 people were reported killed in the disaster which struck Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra on Nov 26, while nearly 200 are reported missing. telekung, sanitary

o Urgent need for temporary shelters, toilets

The renewed fighting this month, including with tanks, drones and artillery, has killed at least 22 people in Thailand and 19 in Cambodia, according to officials. The conflict stems from a territorial dispute over the colonial-era demarcation of their 800km border and ancient temple ruins on the frontier. “More than half a million Cambodians, including women and children, are suffering severe hardship due to forced displacement to escape artillery shells, rockets and bombardments by Thailand’s F-16 aircraft,” the ministry said in a statement, giving the total number of people evacuated as 518,611. Around 400,000 people have been displaced in Thailand due to the conflict, Bangkok has said. Each side has blamed the other for instigating the fresh fighting and traded A 27-year-old man, identified by police by his family name Chang, set off smoke bombs at Taipei Main Station metro on Friday afternoon before launching into a three hour stabbing spree. The attacker then moved to a shopping district near Zhongshan station, authorities said. “Based on what we have established so far in the investigation, the suspect Chang did not make or display any statements or views related to politics, religion, or any specific ideology, and we have preliminarily ruled out terrorism,” a senior Taipei City Police Department official told AFP, on condition of anonymity. “Terrorist attacks have a specific definition and the suspect does not meet that definition.” ACEH: “Bu sedekah, bu,” which loosely translates to “Madam, please give alms,” has become an almost mandatory greeting for every visitor to Kampung Geudumbak, in Mukim Langkahan, Aceh Utara – one of the areas worst hit by the floods which struck late last month. From young children to adults, they never tire of repeating the same plea, standing patiently along both sides of the village road, with hopeful eyes fixed on every unfamiliar vehicle which enters the area, in the hope of receiving assistance. Although located only about 70km from the writer’s accommodation in Lhokseumawe, Aceh’s second-largest city, the journey to the village is far from easy, taking nearly three and a half hours to complete. The route to the village is not only unpaved and narrow, but also marked by severely damaged and muddy stretches, making access difficult and slowing the movement of vehicles. White flags, a symbol of an urgent appeal for assistance, were seen hanging from most of the houses which remained standing, as well as from makeshift, dilapidated tents, erected by residents along the roadside. Upon arriving at the disaster operations post, located beside the river, the scene which unfolded left the writer stunned – a vast expanse of logs lay strewn along the riverbank after being washed ashore.

Flood-impacted residents sifting through donated clothing at Mukim Langkahan. – BERNAMAPIC

moment the writer stepped into the disaster operations centre – a question which reflected needs far greater than monetary aid. Others, too, voiced pressing requests, asking for basic medicines to relieve headaches and toothaches. Basic necessities, such as medicines, food,

The devastation had erased the area’s landscape; the river itself seemed to have vanished, replaced by a “land of timber” stretching as far as the eye could see. “Ada bawa telekung, bu?” (Did you bring a telekung (Muslim woman’s prayer attire), madam?), asked two women in their 30s the

Clashes displace over 500,000 in Cambodia PHNOM PENH: More than half a million people in Cambodia have been displaced by two weeks of clashes with Thailand, Phnom Penh’s Interior Ministry said yesterday. accusations of attacks on civilians, after five days of clashes in July killed dozens. The United States, China and Malaysia brokered a truce to end that round of fighting, but the ceasefire was short-lived.

round of border clashes. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that Washington was hoping Cambodia and Thailand would reach a new ceasefire by Monday or Tuesday. Foreign ministers of Asean nations, including Cambodia and Thailand, are set to meet today in Kuala Lumpur for talks aimed at finding a diplomatic solution. China sent its special envoy for Asian affairs to Cambodia and Thailand last week, with Beijing aiming to “rebuild peace”. Cambodia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday that the Chinese envoy, Deng Xijun, met Prime Minister Hun Manet in Phnom Penh the day before, urging a truce. Cambodia said yesterday that Thai forces had continued to attack since dawn, with fighting occurring on the border near the Preah Vihear temple. A UN court ruling in Phnom Penh’s favour in 2013 settled the matter for more than a decade. – AFP but said the motive was not clear. Police said they believe Chang had acted alone and planned to “randomly kill people”. He rented an apartment in the district in January and scouted the area in advance. The city doubled its police deployment for the Taipei Marathon yesterday and is expected to conduct a “high-intensity” drill at metro stations ahead of New Year’s Eve, the mayor said. President Lai Ching-te said on Saturday that authorities should be “more cautious and proactive” and improve emergency protocols. Lai said the police must be “trained and equipped for counter-terrorism operations” to protect citizens. Metro Taipei announced that it had shut down a Christmas market near Zhongshan station on Saturday, which will remain closed for three days in honour of the victims. – AFP

In October, US President Donald Trump backed a follow-on joint declaration between Thailand and Cambodia, touting new trade deals after they agreed in Kuala Lumpur to prolong their truce. But Thailand suspended the agreement the following month, after Thai soldiers were wounded by landmines at the border. Bangkok has accused Cambodia of laying fresh mines, an allegation denied by Phnom Penh. Trump, who has placed the conflict between Cambodia and Thailand on a list of wars he said he solved, this month claimed the two countries had agreed to a new ceasefire. But Bangkok denied any truce had been agreed, and fighting has continued daily since a border skirmish on Dec 7 sparked the latest The senior police official said investigators also found searches for “random killings” on Chang’s iPad, including material related to a Taipei metro stabbing in 2014 when a man killed four people. Chang had served in the military but was discharged over driving under the influence of alcohol, according to police, who said he was wanted after he failed to report for reserve military training. Taiwan requires former soldiers to undergo seven to 14 days of reserve training within eight years of discharge. Failure to report is treated as evasion of military service. In the immediate aftermath of the Friday stabbing, officials called the attack “deliberate”

Taiwan police rule out terrorism in metro stabbing TAIPEI: Taiwan police yesterday ruled out terrorism in a metro stabbing, where an attacker killed three and wounded 11. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an said the suspect was found dead the same day, after jumping off a nearby building.