15/01/2026

THURSDAY | JAN 15, 2026

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Crane derails passenger train BANGKOK: A crane at a China backed high-speed rail project in Thailand collapsed onto and derailed a passenger train yesterday, killing at least 22 people and injuring scores. Footage from the scene verified by AFP showed the crane’s broken structure resting on giant concrete pillars, with smoke rising from the wreckage of the train below. Rescuers worked to extract o Over 20 killed at China-backed project site passengers from the tilted carriages in Nakhon Ratchasima province, northeast of Bangkok. “At around 9am, I heard a loud noise, like something sliding down from above, followed by two explosions,” said local resident Mitr Intrpanya, 54, who was at the scene. “When I went to see what had happened, I found the crane sitting on a passenger train with three carriages. “The metal from the crane appeared to strike the middle of the second carriage, slicing it in half,” Mitr said. District police chief Thatchapon Chinnawong said 22 people had been confirmed dead and 80 more were injured.

No letup in scam centre crackdown PHNOM PENH: Cambodia’s arrest of alleged scam centre kingpin Chen Zhi and his extradition to China was “not the end” of its battle to stamp out trans-border crimes, its foreign minister said. Last week’s arrest of Chinese-born Chen is a key step in an until now fragmented international campaign targeting scam networks in Southeast Asia. The extradition of Chen, sanctioned by several countries and indicted by the United States for wire fraud and money laundering, followed a joint investigation by China and Cambodia. “It’s a continued combat, and we have set measures and steps to eradicate this crime,” Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn said. Cambodia has always been determined to crack down on transnational crimes, he told Reuters. “The fact that Chen Zhi was arrested and extradited to China is just reflecting this firm commitment of Cambodia to combat the crime. And it’s not the end of the combat.” He gave no details of the investigation but said full cooperation with Beijing had started months ago. Chen, an enigmatic billionaire in his late 30s, heads the Prince Group conglomerate, which is based in Cambodia, with scores of ostensibly legitimate businesses worldwide. Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan have frozen hundreds of millions of dollars in assets linked to Prince Group, while Britain and South Korea have imposed sanctions. Last year, US prosecutors seized about US$15 billion (RM60.77 billion) in bitcoin linked to Chen, and Cambodia has liquidated the Prince Bank he founded. It is not clear what Chen will be charged with in China, which set up a special task force in 2020 to investigate Prince Group, Chinese court documents showed. – Reuters

ceasefire deal in October, his calls proved unsuccessful in immediately ending the second bout of fighting. Besides efforts by Trump and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Prak Sokhonn also outlined China’s involvement in the latest truce, such as key visits by a special envoy to Bangkok and Phnom Penh last month. “He met our prime minister, our defence minister, myself,” he said, also outlining similar meetings on the Thai side. “So it was a very, let’s say, active contribution from China.” Two days after the latest ceasefire, the top diplomats of China, Thailand and Cambodia met in Yunnan, where they agreed to rebuild mutual trust. – Reuters imposing advertising and marketing bans to restrict youth access. Health officials estimate 100,000 deaths occur annually as a direct or indirect result of smoking. The ministry said Vietnam had more than 15 million smokers in 2024. It warned that the affordability of cigarettes remained a barrier to reducing tobacco use, particularly among men. – Reuters The accident happened at a construction site that is part of a US$5.4-billion (RM21.88 billion) project backed by Beijing to build a high-speed rail network in Thailand. It aims to connect Bangkok to Kunming in China via Laos by 2028 as part of China’s vast “Belt and Road” infrastructure initiative. “A crane collapsed onto a train causing it to derail and catch fire,” the Nakhon Ratchasima provincial public relations department said in a statement. Live footage aired by local media showed rescue workers rushing to the scene, with a brightly coloured train derailed on its side as smoke billowed from the debris. Thatchapon later said authorities were pausing the rescue operation due to “chemical leakage” at the scene. The Nakhon Ratchasima provincial department said the train was travelling from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani province. Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said 195 people were on board the train and authorities were rushing to identify the deceased. Thailand already has around 5,000km of railway but the run-down network has long driven people to favour travel by road. Upon completion of the 600km high-speed railway, Chinese-made trains will run from Bangkok to Nong Khai, on the Mekong River border with Laos, at up to 250 km/h. – AFP

The damaged train lies on its side at the crash site. – MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT HANDOUT/REUTERSPIC

Thai troop deployment tests December truce PHNOM PENH: Thailand’s military continues to occupy civilian areas in Cambodia, having barricaded some with barbed wire and shipping containers, posing a risk to a truce between the neighbours who clashed twice last year, the Cambodian foreign minister said. “The situation remains calm, but there are some risks as well. So we hope that Thailand will remain committed to the full implementation of the ceasefire.” In response to questions With fighter jet sorties, exchanges of rocket fire and artillery barrages, the two neighbours battled for 20 days last month, following a July round of clashes. The December fighting

priority for us because we need to solve those problems to allow our people to go back home,” he said. Thailand’s Foreign Ministry said it was finalising internal procedures for the talks, which would happen after a new government takes office following a Feb 8 election. “The Thai side reiterates its full commitment to resolving differences through bilateral mechanisms and intends to resume JBC activities at the earliest,” it added. Besides an understanding not to beef up troops on both sides of the border, the Dec 27 truce also agreed on the return of displaced civilians. Although Trump was instrumental in halting the July clashes and then oversaw the signing of a wider also much lower than the rates seen in neighbouring Asean countries, including Thailand at 78.6% and Singapore at 67.1%. The ministry on Tuesday proposed further changes to the Tobacco Harm Prevention Law, including the expansion of smoke-free areas, the tightening of retail restrictions, the enlarging of health warnings to cover 85% of cigarette packets, and

killed 101 people and displaced more than half a million, in the latest flare-up of a century-old dispute between the countries. In recent weeks, Cambodia has asked Thailand for a meeting of the

from Reuters, Thai military and government officials referred to a statement on Monday by Thailand’s Foreign Ministry that dismissed Cambodia’s accusations as “baseless”. “The maintenance of current troop positions following the ceasefire constitutes direct compliance with agreed de escalation measures,”the Thai ministry said. “This cannot be misconstrued as territorial occupation.”

Up to 4,000 Cambodian families are unable to return to homes along the disputed frontier because of the Thai incursions, Prak Sokhonn (pic) told Reuters, despite a December agreement that halted weeks of clashes. “The Thai military is still occupying territories well inside Cambodia,” he said on Tuesday in a rare interview from Phnom Penh, listing at least four border locations as incursion sites.

Joint Boundary Commission, a two way effort to demarcate the border, but Bangkok has not confirmed its participation, according to Prak Sokhonn. “The occupied village will be a

Vietnam implements absolute cigarette excise tax HANOI: Vietnam will introduce an absolute excise tax on cigarettes from next year, with rates increasing incrementally to 10,000 dong (RM1.55) per pack by 2031 as part of a campaign to curb smoking. The amended Special absolute levy starting at 2,000 dong per pack and rising over the following four years. “The tax on tobacco for the 2012

Song , the official newspaper of the Health Ministry. Vietnam has raised tobacco taxes twice since 2013, but officials say the increases have had little impact on smoking. The Health Ministry reported that the tax burden on tobacco represents only 36.8% of retail prices, well below the 70-75% level recommended by the World Health Organisation, and

2025 period is very low and had no impact on reducing consumption, while Vietnam’s per capita income has steadily increased every year,” Phan Thi Hai, deputy director of the Tobacco Harm Prevention Fund, was quoted as saying by Suc Khoe Doi

Consumption Tax law, passed last year, will adopt a mixed tax regime starting from 2027, combining the existing 75% base rate with an