24/04/2026

FRIDAY | APR 24, 2026

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BEIJING: China’s top diplomat Wang Yi has called for the complete eradication of scam centres in Cambodia during a meeting with Prime Minister Hun Manet in Phnom Penh, according to Beijing’s Foreign Ministry. Cambodia hosts dozens of scam centres with tens of thousands of people perpetrating online scams, some willingly and others trafficked, in a multibillion-dollar illicit industry, rights monitors say. But under pressure from several countries, including China, Cambodian authorities say they are cracking down on the industry. “Cross-border gambling and fraud endanger the lives and property of the people, and must be resolutely cracked down on and completely eradicated,“ Wang told Hun Manet, China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. China and Cambodia maintain close trade, diplomatic and military ties. Wang, who was accompanied by Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun, also underlined the countries’“unbreakable bond”during the meeting. Hun Manet told AFP in February that scam centres were destroying his country’s economy and giving the nation a bad name, vowing to“clean this out”. He added on Wednesday that he, Wang and Dong had discussed promoting cooperation in politics, trade and investment, national defence and security, clean energy, transportation infrastructure construction and agriculture. Wang and Dong also met Cambodia’s Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn and Defence Minister Tea Seiha on Wednesday. Wang said he supports initiatives aimed at normalising relations between Cambodia and Thailand following deadly clashes last year along their shared border. “China is willing to continue to build more platforms for the resumption of exchanges and direct dialogue between Cambodia and Thailand.“ While a ceasefire was agreed in December, the regional situation remains fragile, with Cambodia and Thailand accusing each other of failing to respect the truce. – AFP Call to fully root out Cambodian scam centres Taiwan minister visits island in contested area TAIPEI: Taiwan’s minister in charge of the coast guard has made a rare visit to a Taiwan-controlled island in the South China Sea for exercises, including the armed boarding of a suspicious ship. Taiwan and China claim sovereignty over most of the South China Sea and Taiwan has control of Itu Aba in the contested Spratly Islands in the southern part of the sea. On Wednesday, Taiwan’s coast guard said Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling had visited Itu Aba, which it calls Taiping Island, for a “humanitarian relief, medical evacuation and marine pollution removal” exercise. Taiwan’s official Central News Agency said this is the first time in seven years a minister has visited Itu Aba, which is also claimed by China, Vietnam and the Philippines. In one part of the drill, coast guard special forces armed with guns were ordered to board a suspicious cargo ship that had refused to respond to hails. “In order to safeguard the nation’s rights and national security, the cargo vessel was escorted back to Taiping Island for further investigation,“ the coast guard said. But the island is lightly defended compared with nearby Chinese-controlled islands. Chinese forces generally leave Itu Aba alone. Beijing has carried out extensive land reclamation on the South China Sea islets and outcrops it controls, building major air force and other military facilities, fuelling concern in Washington and around the region where Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam also claim parts of the sea. – Reuters

Sihasak (left) with Min during a meeting in Naypyidaw. – AFPPIC

Myanmar ‘considering good things’ for Suu Kyi

or other to find partners. The company said it respects the agency’s findings and “deeply regrets that we failed to adequately protect our members’personal data”. It said the breach resulted from a “hacking attack that was extremely difficult to detect or prevent”. Duo says on its website its services have led to more than 53,000 weddings and seven couples tying the knot on average every day. It has 36,000 members as of this week, the website said. A number of South Korean companies and online platforms have suffered breaches of customer data as a result of hacking or staff misconduct, prompting a government crackdown following a public outcry. – Reuters have insisted that her detention on a host of criminal convictions is a matter for the courts. However, Win’s pardon last Friday came directly from the office of Min as part of a mass amnesty to mark Myanmar’s new year. That blanket order also shaved some time off Suu Kyi’s 27-year sentence, although it was not clear how much, a source close to her legal case told AFP. Rights groups say charges against Suu Kyi were confected in order to sideline her and allow the military to return to power, ending the country’s tentative decade-long experiment with democracy. Min was sworn in as Myanmar’s civilian president two weeks ago by lawmakers installed in an election that barred Suu Kyi’s party and punished protest or criticism with up to a decade in jail. The election did not take place in huge tracts of Myanmar now controlled by rebels in the civil war, and many armed factions have openly dismissed the vote, saying they will continue fighting. – AFP

Min in the capital Naypyidaw on Wednesday. “Min Aung Hlaing said Suu Kyi is being well taken care of and the Myanmar government is considering good things, without giving any further details,” said Sihasak in a video message before returning to Thailand on Wednesday. “This should be a good sign.” Min last week pardoned Suu Kyi’s top aide Win Myint, who served as ceremonial president of her administration and was also taken into custody in the coup. Some analysts have dismissed the clemency measure as part of a rebranding effort for Min’s new administration as it grasps for legitimacy. The announcement of Win’s pardon has nonetheless renewed diplomatic calls for Suu Kyi’s release. The 80-year-old has been detained for half a decade, with even her close family saying they have been permitted scant communication with her. Diplomats and media have persistently queried her status but Myanmar authorities

BANGKOK: Myanmar’s leader is “considering good things” for detained Aung San Suu Kyi, Thailand’s top diplomat said, after meeting the country’s coup leader for the first time since he took over as civilian president. Tropical Myanmar has been led by Min Aung Hlaing since 2021, who as armed forces chief deposed Suu Kyi’s elected government, detained the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and sparked a civil war. This month, he took over the role of civilian president after an election that democracy watchdogs dismissed as a choreographed affair designed to rebrand military rule. The issue of Suu Kyi was raised when Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow met o Announcement of pardons has renewed calls for former leader’s release

Seoul fines matchmaking agency over user data leak SEOUL: South Korea’s data protection agency said yesterday it has fined a matchmaking service over a leak of its members’ sensitive personal information, including their weight, blood type and whether they were previously married. to the company database in January last year and downloaded private personal information of more than 420,000 current and former members. The data also included phone numbers, addresses, schools graduated from and workplaces, it said.

The Personal Information Protection Commission said in a statement the company Duo failed to implement adequate measures to safeguard their membership database and was slow to take action after its system was hacked last year. It ordered Duo to pay a 1.21 billion won (RM3.24 million) fine, take corrective action to improve how it handles personal data and fully disclose details of the incident. Hackers gained unauthorised access

The commission said Duo also violated regulations on the collection and storage of personal data, such as citizenship ID numbers and passwords, and failed to meet a requirement to delete the information of nearly 300,000 members gathered more than five years ago. Duo is one of South Korea’s best-known matchmaking services, in a country where many have long relied on such services in some form