09/01/2026

FRIDAY | JAN 9, 2026

7 Alleged scam boss arrested in Cambodia, deported to China

Environmental activist arrested

in India WASHINGTON:

A global environmental activist working on an effort to coordinate a global treaty to phase out fossil fuels has been detained and released by Indian authorities as part of their probe into the use of foreign funds to undermine Indian energy policies, Indian officials said on Wednesday. India’s Enforcement Directorate searched the home of Harjeet Singh and his wife Jyoti Awasthi, who run environmental NGO Satat Sampada (Nature Forever) as part of its investigation into “suspicious foreign inward remittances” received by the organisation to promote the so-called Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty within India, it said in a statement. The treaty was first proposed in 2022 by Pacific island nation Vanuatu. It seeks to stop the production of fossil fuels and usher in a transition towards green energy. It is also backed by 18 developing countries, including Colombia and Pakistan. The probe comes after the conclusion of the COP30 climate summit in Belem, Brazil, during which several countries objected to a final outcome that avoided stronger plans for reining in greenhouse gases or phasing out fossil fuels. “While presented as a climate initiative, its adoption could expose India to legal challenges in international fora, such as the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and severely compromise the nation’s energy security and economic development,“ the Indian agency said in a statement. The ICJ issued an advisory opinion last July that said wealthy nations have a responsibility to curb climate change. Harjeet and Jyoti were not immediately available for comment. Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative founder and chair Tzeporah Berman could not comment on details of the probe but said the treaty aims to support, not undermine, India. “The proposal aims to support developing countries through international cooperation, economic diversification, access to finance and technology transfer. “Our purpose is to advance fair and orderly transitions to renewable and accessible energy systems, with a particular focus on those most in need.” – Reuters

o Accused faces up to 40 years’ prison if convicted on charges

PHNOM PENH: Chinese-born tycoon Chen Zhi, who was indicted by the United States on fraud and money-laundering charges for running a multibillion-dollar cyberscam network from Cambodia, has been arrested there and extradited to China, Phnom Penh said on Wednesday. Chen allegedly directed operations of forced labour compounds across Cambodia, where trafficked workers were held in prison-like facilities surrounded by high walls and barbed wire, according to US prosecutors. Since the US indictment and sanctions by Washington and London in October, authorities in Europe, the United States and Asia have targeted Chen’s firm, Prince Holding Group, with a frenzy of asset confiscations. Chen founded Prince Group, a multinational conglomerate that authorities say served as a front for “one of Asia’s largest transnational criminal organisations”, according to the US Justice Department. Cambodian authorities “have

Uncontrolled fires in Australia SYDNEY: Uncontrolled fires burned through bushland in Australia’s Victorian state yesterday, forcing communities to evacuate and authorities to warn of a “catastrophic” fire danger rating for today. Amid temperatures forecast to exceed 40°C in parts of the state, two bushfires of more than 3,000ha in size were raging near the towns of Longwood and Walwa. They have destroyed at least two structures and are expected to continue to spread today as heat and wind pick up. Today’s fire danger rating is set at “catastrophic”, the highest level, and both fires pose a real risk of loss of life and property, authorities said. “Tomorrow is a very, very dire bushfire day in the state of Victoria,“ said Country Fire Authority Chief Officer Jason Heffernan yesterday. Meteorologists have said conditions are on par with 2019, when bushfires destroyed wide swathes of southeastern Australia, killing 33 people in what became known as the Black Summer. Some 450 schools in Victoria are set to close today. Total fire bans were issued in several districts yesterday. In New Zealand, country weather provider MetService warned of record warm temperatures over the weekend as the heatwave moves across the Tasman Sea. It has also issued heat alerts for parts of the eastern coast of New Zealand and the north of the South Island. – Reuters The Southeast Asian nation hosts dozens of scam centres with tens of thousands of people perpetrating online scams, some willingly and others trafficked, in the multibillion-dollar industry, experts say. – AFP around the world, causing billions in losses. Scam centres across Cambodia, Myanmar and the region use fake job ads to attract foreign nationals, many of them Chinese, to compounds where they are forced to carry out online fraud. Since around 2015, Prince Group has operated across more than 30 countries under the guise of legitimate real estate, financial services and consumer businesses, US prosecutors said. Chen and top executives allegedly used political influence and bribed officials in multiple countries to protect their illicit operations. In Cambodia, Chen has served as an adviser to Prime Minister Hun Manet and his father, former leader Hun Sen.

presiding over compounds in Cambodia where trafficked workers carried out cryptocurrency fraud schemes that have netted billions of dollars. He faces up to 40 years’ prison if convicted in the United States on wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges involving about 127,271 bitcoin seized by Washington, worth more than US$11 billion (RM44.7 billion) at current prices. Prince Group has denied the allegations. According to the US charges, scam workers were forced under threat of violence to execute so-called “pig butchering” scams, cryptocurrency investment schemes that build trust with victims over time before stealing their funds. The schemes target victims

arrested three Chinese nationals, namely Chen Zhi, Xu Ji Liang and Shao Ji Hui, and extradited (them) to the People’s Republic of China”, Cambodia’s Interior Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. The operation was carried out on Tuesday “within the scope of cooperation in combating transnational crime” and according to a request from Chinese authorities “following several months of joint investigative cooperation”, it said. Chen’s Cambodian nationality was “revoked by a royal decree” in December, the ministry added. Chinese authorities did not comment on Wednesday on Chen’s arrest and extradition. The US Justice Department also declined to comment. US authorities in October unsealed an indictment against Chen, a businessman accused of

DIRE STRAITS ... A woman using a zipline to cross a river in the aftermath of flash floods that destroyed villages in Ketol, Indonesia’s Aceh highland province. – AFPPIC

Vietnam seeks Russia nuclear deal after Japan pulls out HANOI: Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh wants talks with Russia to build a nuclear power plant to wrap up this month and urged government officials to find new partners after Japan pulled out from a second project, the government said yesterday. and 6.4 gigawatts, with the aim of signing agreements with Russia by September and with Japan by the end of last year. to Vietnam Naoki Ito said Japan had dropped out of plans to build a major nuclear power plant in Vietnam because the government’s goal of having it online by 2035 was too ambitious. for comment. Vietnam has faced major power blackouts as demand from its huge industrial sector and expanding middle class often outpaces supply. The power grid has also been strained by increasingly frequent extreme weather, such as droughts and typhoons.

However, “progress has not been as expected, with many obstacles needing immediate attention, such as the slow pace of negotiations on cooperation agreements, which are heavily dependent on foreign partners“, Chinh told officials, according to an article on the website of the government’s news portal. In December, Japan’s ambassador

Chinh instructed officials to complete talks with Russia in January and find a new partner to replace Japan for the second project, with the aim of having the two nuclear power plants online “after 2031”, the article said. The Russian embassy in Hanoi was not immediately available

Vietnam resumed its nuclear power programme last year after halting it in 2016. Under the plan, Hanoi negotiated with Russia and Japan to build two power plants with a planned combined capacity of between four

The country wants to increase electricity production from multiple sources, mostly renewables and gas, but projects have faced delays and uncertainty over regulatory and pricing issues. – Reuters