06/01/2026

TUESDAY | JAN 6, 2026

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Philippines arrests ex-general o Govt frames charge of sedition

Taiwan reports 6% rise in cyberattacks on infrastructure TAIPEI: Cyberattacks on Taiwan’s key infrastructure from hospitals to banks rose 6% last year from the previous year to an average of 2.63 million attacks a day, the island’s National Security Bureau said, adding some were synchronised with military drills in “hybrid threats” to paralyse the island. Taiwan has in recent years complained about what it sees as China’s “hybrid warfare” – from daily military drills near the island to disinformation campaigns and cyberattacks – as Beijing ramps up military and political pressure to force Taipei to accept its claims of sovereignty. The average number of daily attacks last year jumped 113% from 2023 when the bureau first began publishing such data, with sectors such as energy, emergency rescue and hospitals seeing the sharpest year-on-year increases, according to a report by the National Security Bureau on Sunday. “Such a trend indicates a deliberate attempt by China to compromise Taiwan’s crucial infrastructure comprehensively and to disrupt or paralyse Taiwanese government and social functions,” the report said. The bureau said China’s “cyber army” timed operations to coincide with military and political coercion. For example, China launched 40 “joint combat readiness patrols” by sending military planes and ships close to Taiwan and cyberattacks escalated on 23 of those occasions. China also ramped up hacking activities during politically sensitive moments such as when President Lai Ching-te marked his first year in office with a speech in May and when Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim spoke at a meeting with lawmakers at the European Parliament in November. “China’s moves align with its strategic need to employ hybrid threats against Taiwan during both peacetime and wartime,” the report said. The Taiwanese report said the Chinese attacks included distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks designed to disrupt Taiwan’s daily life as well as man-in-the-middle attacks to steal information and penetrate the island’s telecommunications networks. Science parks that anchor Taiwan’s semiconductor industry have also been prime targets with attackers stealing advanced technologies. The move was “an attempt to support China’s self-reliance in technology and economic development and prevent China from being put in a

MANILA: A former Philippine air force general accused of encouraging the military to abandon President Ferdinand Marcos Jr was arrested on a charge of sedition yesterday at Manila’s international airport. Romeo Poquiz, who had publicly called for the armed

(with) his recent statements. He was arrested upon arrival from Bangkok this morning,” Remulla said in a text message. Speaking at a news conference, acting police chief Jose Nartatez said Poquiz had been detained on the basis of a Dec 5 warrant. The 67-year-old ex-general confirmed his arrest in a post on Facebook. “I was arrested by the (Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group) at the Airport Terminal ... Long live the Filipino!” Poquiz said, adding he was being taken to Manila’s Camp Crame police headquarters. The ex-general’s lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, said he had not yet been allowed to meet his client. He said calls for the military to withdraw its support for Marcos had not been “direct incitements to sedition but rather ... a discussion of a possible outcomes of graft and corruption”. “This just shows that the government is denouncing those who speak about wrongdoing instead of those who are stealing the people’s money,” Topacio said. Philippine military chief General Romeo Brawner said in October that the nation’s “battle staff” had rebuffed retired officers led by Porquiz who aired their grievances with Marcos, saying they were told the military was “solid” in its support of the constitution. Brawner also said that retired officers had reached out to younger officers seeking a “coup d’etat, a military junta” to “reset” Philippine society without disclosing their names. The alleged push for military intervention came as Manila was gearing up for Sept 21 anti corruption protests sparked by bogus flood-control projects believed to have cost taxpayers billions of dollars. Marcos, who made the widespread fraud the centrepiece of a July national address, has since seen friend and foe alike implicated in the scandal, with some political opponents suggesting he was a key beneficiary of the corruption. Speaking at the signing of a new national budget yesterday, Marcos made no mention of the arrest. – AFP The prosecutors said Google topped up its investment by US$59 million in Gojek’s then-parent company PT Aplikasi Karya Anak Bangsa (AKAB) at about the same time. Nadiem’s wealth has risen by 809 billion rupiah (RM197 million) from AKAB, based on his 2022 self-written wealth report to the state, and most of AKAB’s funds came from Google’s investment totalling US$787 million, they said. The ministry’s decision for this tender enriched at least 10 other companies, according to the charge sheet. – Reuters

Thailand, Interior Department secretary Jonvic Remulla. “He was arrested for the charge of sedition in connection said

forces their support” from Marcos amid a burgeoning corruption scandal, was detained by Philippine police after returning from a holiday in to “withdraw

disadvantaged position in the US-China technology competition”, the report said. – Reuters Indonesian prosecutors file graft charges against ex-minister Nadiem NO TO IMPERIALISM ... Activists marching towards the US Embassy in Manila yesterday. – REUTERSPIC

JAKARTA: Indonesian prosecutors yesterday filed corruption charges against former education minister and the co-founder of startup Gojek, Nadiem Makarim, over alleged improper laptop procurement during the pandemic that led to US$125.64 million (RM512 million) in state losses. Nadiem, who resigned as chief executive of ride-hailing company Gojek in 2019 to become education minister until 2024, was accused of enriching himself by around US$48.34 million) from the procurement of Chromebook laptops and Chrome OS for schools between 2020 and 2022,

determined in 2018 that their use for learning requires an internet connection, making them incompatible for Indonesia, where internet availability is a major issue in remote areas, prosecutors told the court. The ministry still went ahead with the purchase of Chromebooks after Makarim met representatives of Google Asia Pacific and Google Indonesia several times in 2020, prosecutors said. Nadiem’s lawyer denied that his client had met Google’s representatives.

Alphabet’s Google was not indicted and did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment. Gojek merged with e-commerce Tokopedia in 2021. The combined company, PT GoTo Gojek Tokopedia, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Investigators with the Attorney General’s Office arrested Nadiem in September for his role in the case, along with several top officials at the ministry. The Chromebook laptops were bought even though the ministry had

prosecutors said in the first trial hearing. Nadiem had created tender specifications that only fit the Chrome system to “make Google the sole controller of education ecosystem in Indonesia”, prosecutors said. The charges against Nadiem carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Nadiem has denied wrongdoing, his lawyer Ari Yusuf Amir told reporters, adding that the prosecutors’ case lacks strong evidence. Ari said he will ask the court to dismiss the charges.