14/04/2026

TUESDAY | APR 14, 2026

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Mekong nations mark New Year in high spirits

Foreign fishermen using cyanide: Manila MANILA: The Philippines accused Chinese fishermen yesterday of pouring cyanide in waters in the Spratly Islands. The Philippines’ National Security Council (NSC) alleged the poisoning began last year around Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly chain, which sits near vital shipping lanes and is reputedly rich in minerals. “The use of cyanide on Ayungin Shoal is a term of sabotage that seeks to kill local fish populations, depriving Navy personnel of a vital food source,” NSC assistant director-general Cornelio Valencia told a news conference, using the Philippines’ term for the reef. These actions also “threaten our Navy personnel” through exposure to contaminated water, eating poisoned fish, as well as eroding corals, Valencia said. China’s Foreign Ministry branded the fresh accusations a “farce”. It is “completely unbelievable and not even worth refuting”, its spokesman Guo Jiakun said. “The Philippines has illegally harassed Chinese fishing vessels engaged in normal fishing activities, robbing fishing people of their supplies.” Valencia said Manila had raised the alleged poisoning with Beijing at a recent meeting but has received no formal reply. He said reef damage from cyanide poisoning could also compromise the structure of the BRP Sierra Madre , a World War II-era warship on which the Filipino troops are stationed. – AFP Marcos cuts tax on petroleum products MANILA: President Ferdinand Marcos said yesterday excise taxes on LPG and kerosene would be trimmed to ease the fuel price shock. “We were hoping for a good outcome from the peace talks (between) the US and Iran, but it appears they were unable to strike a deal, which is why we will continue to help our people,” he told a news conference. “We have reduced the tax on petroleum products directly used by our people in their everyday lives.” Following the legislature’s earlier passage of a law authorising him to adjust fuel excise taxes, Marcos said the cost of liquefied petroleum gas, the country’s fuel of choice for cooking, would be trimmed by 3.36 pesos (23 sen) per kilogram from today. He said the price of kerosene, the cooking fuel used by poorer families, would drop by 5.60 pesos per litre. Marcos said he would convene a meeting of a government crisis committee today to discuss possible excise tax adjustments on petrol and diesel, the main fuels for public transport. The Philippines sources its crude oil from the Middle East and imports refined petroleum products mainly from Asian refineries that are also dependent on crude oil shipped through the Strait of Hormuz. Local diesel pump prices have more than doubled to about 145 pesos (RM9.58) a litre since the start of the war. – AFP

o Regional revellers welcome important festival

highlight during the festival across the region. In Myanmar, however, Thingyan, the traditional water festival, is being marked in a subdued atmosphere. Fuel shortages and rising costs weigh heavily on daily life. According to The Global New Light of Myanmar , water splashing and charity pavilions have been set up at the People’s Square in Yangon. In Thailand, people are celebrating Songkran under new Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s leadership, while facing fuel price challenges. Even in Laos, home to about seven million people, astronomical fuel prices affected every household. But Pi Mai festivities continue in the capital, Vientiane and rural provinces. Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith in his New Year message urged the nation to unite to overcome economic challenges. “Laos has maintained political stability, preserved social order and recorded positive economic recovery and growth,” he said. – Bernama

“It is a time for family reunions, visiting elders, going to the pagoda, paying respect to ancestors and performing meritorious deeds in accordance with Buddhist tradition,” said Preah Sihanouk Raja Buddhist University’s Head of Research for Postgraduate Studies Venerable Dr San Pisith. Farmers, fishermen and transport operators are bearing the brunt of soaring fuel costs driven by reliance on imported energy. “Rising fuel costs are a reminder or a clear message telling us that the ways we are consuming energy now are not sustainable. “If we continue this way, things are not getting better. They surely are getting worse, both from an economic perspective and an environmental point of view,” said Pisith. Yet this week, the skylines glow with celebration. As the New Year, typically observed between April 13 and 15, arrives, people of all ages embrace their Cambodian, Laotian, Burmese and Thai cultural traditions through acts of religious devotion. Splashing water, a cleansing element in Buddhist culture, has been a symbolic

PHNOM PENH: Vibrant celebrations swept across Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand, countries bordering the Mekong River, as millions gathered to usher in the New Year. For the next few days, the Buddhist New Year – Chaul Chnam Thmey in Cambodia, Laos’ Pi Mai, Thingyan in Myanmar, and Thailand’s Songkran – will add shades of euphoria to the region still grappling with a severe fuel crisis. Unperturbed by the blistering 40º Celsius heat, costly fuel, inflationary pressure or geopolitical noise, revellers are welcoming the most important festival on the calendar. In Cambodia, there was a mass exodus of city folks since Friday, all heading to their provinces to celebrate the occasion with their families.

Thais play with water as they celebrate Songkran in Bangkok. – REUTERSPIC

‘Taiwan govt should lead engagement with China’ TAIPEI: Taiwan’s engagement with China on looser controls proposed by Beijing for trade and tourism should be led by the government rather than party-to-party contacts, a senior Taiwanese security official said. administration, saying he is a “separatist”, and has rebuffed offers of talks. Tsai Ming-yen, head of Taiwan’s National Security Bureau, said only the government should be assessing, planning and driving exchanges. The Kuomintang (KMT), Taiwan’s largest opposition party whose leader Cheng Li-wun met President Xi Jinping in Beijing last week, has welcomed the measures, saying they can help with peace and bring economic opportunities.

a tool the Chinese communists use to interfere in Taiwan’s elections,” he said. Taiwan will hold key local elections in November. Ahead of the last presidential elections in early 2024, Taiwan complained that China had used trade measures to try to sway electors, including reviewing tariff concessions on agricultural and fishery products, machinery, car parts and textiles. Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s territorial claims, saying only the island’s people can decide their future. – Reuters

“I believe that the leaders on both sides of the strait must take the responsibility of avoiding war. “Peace is the ultimate goal,” Hou said. “Engagement is about communication and minimising conflict as much as possible.” Tsai said such “goodwill measures” from China were historically brought up ahead of elections, concentrated on certain specific counties and cities, or specific companies, industries, or individuals. “However, this has already become

China on Sunday unveiled 10 new incentive measures for Taiwan, including easing tourist curbs, allowing in “healthy” television dramas and facilitating food sales, following a visit by the island’s opposition leader. But China refuses to speak with Taiwan President Lai Ching-te’s

Hou Yu-ih, the KMT’s 2024 presidential candidate and mayor of Taipei’s sister city New Taipei, told reporters yesterday that exchanges must be initiated on the basis of equality, dignity and mutual respect, starting with less sensitive areas like culture.

“Having the government take charge of the planning can also better help avoid unnecessary risks and long-term consequences,” he told reporters at parliament. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.