16/01/2026

FRIDAY | JAN 16, 2026

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Another crane collapses in Thailand, two killed

Black box for crashed jet located TAIPEI: The Taiwanese Air Force yesterday said it has located the black box of an F-16 fighter jet that apparently crashed into the sea last week. The single-seat F-16V disappeared off Taiwan’s east coast on Jan 6, about 70 minutes after taking off for a routine night training mission. The pilot, who remains missing, is believed to have ejected before the aircraft went down. The Air Force added that signals from the flight data recorder, commonly known as the black box, had been “detected and accurately located”. “As for the search and rescue of personnel, despite continuous day and night searches by aircraft, ships and coastal patrol personnel, no results have been achieved.“ The Air Force also said it would commission a professional team to start salvaging the aircraft as soon as possible. Taiwan is upgrading its defence capabilities as China maintains military pressure on the democratic island, which Beijing claims is part of its territory. – AFP The sources said Chinese authorities expressed concern the software could collect and transmit confidential information abroad. They declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue. – Reuters China orders stop to use of US, Israeli software BEIJING: Chinese authorities have told domestic companies to stop using cybersecurity software made by more than a dozen firms from the United States and Israel due to national security concerns, said three people briefed on the matter. As trade and diplomatic tensions flare between China and the US, and both sides vie for tech supremacy, Beijing has been keen to replace Western-made technology with domestic alternatives. Two of the sources said the US companies under the ban include Broadcom-owned VMware, Palo Alto Networks and Fortinet, while the Israeli companies include Check Point Software Technologies. One of the sources said other banned companies include Alphabet-owned Mandiant and Wiz, whose purchase Alphabet announced last year, as well as US firms CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, Recorded Future, McAfee, Claroty and Rapid7.

in defence spending to 2033 to underscore Taiwan’s determination to defend itself in the face of the rising threat from China. But Taiwan’s opposition, which has the most seats in parliament, has not let the measure progress to the committee stage for review, arguing that the spending details are vague. Hsu also said Defence Minister Wellington Koo would give lawmakers a confidential briefing on Monday, adding that the ministry is happy to give more details. “It is not that we are unwilling to explain. Give us an opportunity to explain, a legal opportunity. This is not a ‘black box’.” The Trump administration has strongly backed Taiwan’s plans to ramp up military spending, something it has been pushing its allies in Europe in particular to do. Hsu said Taiwan had to spend more given the threat. “Everyone knows the threat we are facing is growing and growing.“ Taiwan’s democratically elected government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying only the island’s people can decide their future. – Reuters BANGKOK: The collapse of a highway construction crane killed two individuals near Bangkok yesterday. Thai Transport Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said the building firm behind the project, Italian-Thai Development, was also involved in another crane failure the day before that left 32 dead. The company was contracted to build a section of a China-backed high-speed rail project in Nakhon Ratchasima province, where a crane fell on Wednesday, derailing a passenger train below and killing 32 of nearly 200 people on board. “Yes, it is Italian-Thai. I still do not understand what happened,” Phiphat told local media yesterday. “We have to find out the facts, whether it was an accident or something else.” The company, one of Thailand’s biggest construction firms, has seen several deadly accidents at its sites in recent years. Police said the incident yesterday took place at the under-construction Rama II Expressway in Samut Sakhon province, outside Bangkok. The Rama II Expressway, an important highway linking the capital to Thailand’s south, hosts several major infrastructure projects, including tollway construction. Major work has been underway for years to expand the road capacity and reduce congestion but the project has been beset by delays and fatalities. In March, a concrete beam forming part of an under-construction elevated roadway collapsed on Rama II, killing several people. A crane collapse in November 2024 killed at least three workers, while local media reported two more deadly incidents in May 2023 and January 2024. Italian-Thai expressed condolences on Wednesday and promised to compensate the families of victims and cover medical expenses for the injured. Phiphat said all parties involved would be held accountable, including Italian-Thai and a Chinese consultancy company. – AFP o Back-to-back incidents tied to same firm, says transport minister

A police officer and workers inspecting the site of the crane collapse. – REUTERSPIC

Indonesian troops rescue 18 workers from rebel siege

More arms sales in pipeline: Taiwan TAIPEI: Taiwanese Vice-Defence Minister Hsu Szu-chien yesterday said more United States arms sales to Taiwan are in the pipeline, with four deals yet to be notified to Congress. The statement follows the announcement of an US$11 billion (RM44.6 billion) package last month, the largest ever for the island. The US is Taiwan’s most important

JAKARTA: Officials yesterday said the Indonesian military rescued 18 workers at gold and copper mining firm Freeport Indonesia that had been surrounded by armed rebels for three days at a company outpost in the insurgency plagued Papua region. The Free Papua Movement rebel group says it is fighting for secession of the region from Indonesia, which has controlled half of the resource-rich island since 1969 after decades of Dutch control. The other half of the massive Pacific island, one of the largest in the world, is the independent state of Papua New Guinea, north of Australia. Indonesian Defence Ministry spokesperson Rico Ricardo Sirait said the workers were fixing one of Freeport’s electric towers in the Tembagapura district in the mountainous Central Papua province when rebels surrounded them last week. “They intimidated the workers and fired shots to frighten or trouble them psychologically.” He added that the military used drones to

deliver food and medicine to the stranded workers, before evacuating them to safety after three days. Freeport Indonesia and the spokesperson of Papuan separatists did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The military did not provide details on the operation to extricate the workers, but said no shots were fired. “The rescue operation was carried out in extremely difficult terrain with a high level of threat and time constraints as crucial factors,“ said operation commander Major-Gen Lucky Avianto. Footage shared by the military on YouTube showed two dozen armed soldiers passing through a forest and river at night, apparently near the site. Another photo showed the soldiers with the rescued workers. Papua is one of Indonesia’s poorest regions, despite being resource rich. It is home to Freeport’s Grasberg mine, which is one of the world’s largest gold and copper mines. – Reuters

international backer and arms supplier, despite a lack of formal diplomatic ties. China, which claims Taiwan as its territory, held war games around the island in December 2025 after the latest deal was announced. “Don’t ask me what four these are, I cannot say. However, there are still four cases yet to be notified to Congress,“ Hsu said, adding he could not say more for legal reasons. The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside Washington business hours. The announced December arms sales cover eight items, including Lockheed Martin Himars rocket systems and Altius loitering munition drones. In November, President Lai Ching-te unveiled an extra US$40 billion (RM162 billion)