07/05/2026

THURSDAY | MAY 7, 2026

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Businessman clarifies stake in sanctioned firm

No Asean consensus on Myanmar polls CEBU: Asean has yet to reach a consensus on recognising the results of Myanmar’s elections. This comes after former military leader Min Aung Hlaing assumed office as president in April and formalised his grip on power, five years after a February 2021 coup. Myanmar held elections in phases last year. The first round of voting was held on Dec 28, followed by balloting on Jan 11 and Jan 25. A pro-military party secured victory. The crisis in Myanmar has remained a key focus of Asean discussions since the military coup. Asean spokesperson Dominic Xavier M. Imperial said the grouping is guided by the Five-Point Consensus in its engagement with Naypyidaw, and the position has not changed. “However, there is continued engagement with Asean,” he said. He said the bloc is monitoring developments, particularly progress in implementing the consensus.

included proceeds from scams, stolen funds and illicit cyber actors. Beijing has called Huione’s Li “a core member” of the criminal gang of Chen Zhi, another Chinese-born accused scam boss who was operating from Cambodia before being extradited to China this year. Cambodia has emerged as a hub for the transnational scam industry in recent years, with organised crime groups initially mostly targeting Chinese speakers before widening their reach and stealing tens of billions of dollars annually from victims around the world. Cambodian authorities said they have cracked down on the syndicates, and detained and deported more than 13,000 foreign nationals involved in scams since early last year. Authorities have in recent months announced charges against several police and immigration officials accused of involvement with cyberscams. – AFP

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was central to a major gambling and fraud syndicate. Li owned 62% of Huione Pay’s shares, while Hun To owned 30%, according to a report by liquidator Reachs & Partners. Huione Pay’s liquidation was completed last October, it said. Hun To, who is a cousin of Prime Minister Hun Manet, said he did not manage the business operations of Huione Pay and “never received any profits, dividends or assets from that company”. He was previously listed as a director of Huione Pay on the Commerce Ministry’s online business registry. Huione Pay had a net cash balance of more than US$1.1 million (RM4.3 million) after all creditors were paid, and the remaining funds were distributed to “actual shareholders responsible for the company’s past operations”, the liquidator said. “I received no share of the

Access for Asean’s special envoy would support engagement with all stakeholders and advance inclusive national dialogue, it said. The Philippines also said that the developments should be used to build momentum for political dialogue and reconciliation in Myanmar under the Asean peace framework known as the Five-Point Consensus. Suu Kyi has been in detention since her elected government was toppled in a 2021 coup. Her sentence was commuted by one-sixth as part of an amnesty last month for thousands of prisoners. – Reuters PHNOM Cambodian businessman Hun To said yesterday he owned a 30% stake in a digital payments platform linked to cyberscams and money laundering and sanctioned by Washington. “I would like to inform the public that I have indeed owned 30% of shares in Huione Pay Plc,” Hun To said in a statement. The US government last year accused Huione Group, which owned several companies offering e-commerce, payment and cryptocurrency exchange services, including Huione Pay, of laundering funds for criminal groups. o Huione Pay liquidated in October PENH: her lawyers and to her family,” he wrote in a letter addressed to French President Emmanuel Macron. Suu Kyi’s lawyer, Francois Zimeray, said Aris handed the letter to Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Tuesday. “We have had no proof of life, no photos for years. We still don’t know where she is,” he said. Lawyer Catalina de la Sota, also representing Suu Kyi, said: “Why is she being kept in total secrecy, in violation of all international conventions?” – AFP

liquidation,” Hun To said. Since last month, protesters have demanded the unfreezing of their accounts with the Huione platform H-Pay, previously Huione Pay, which they said have been inaccessible since December. The National Bank of Cambodia has said the Huione platforms’ business licences have been revoked, and Huione Pay creditors should go to the courts, while creditors of the newer entity, H-Pay, can make claims with the liquidator. The US Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) designated Phnom Penh based Huione Group a “primary money-laundering concern” last year, and prohibited US financial institutions from processing transactions with it. FinCEN said the conglomerate had received at least US$4 billion worth of illegal proceeds between August 2021 and January 2025. That

The consensus calls for the cessation of violence, dialogue among all parties, the appointment of an Asean special envoy on Myanmar to engage all stakeholders. – Bernama Grant access to Suu Kyi, urges Manila Huione’s former chairman, Li Xiong, was extradited to China last month. Chinese authorities say he

MANILA: The Philippines called on Myanmar yesterday to allow Asean’s special envoy to meet detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi, pressing for greater transparency after authorities allowed her to serve the remainder of her sentence under house arrest. “We view these developments as vital steps in confidence-building measures necessary for long-term national stability in Myanmar,” the Philippines, serving as this year’s Asean chair, said in a statement. Its Department of Foreign Affairs said Myanmar should allow Suu Kyi to communicate with her family to “demonstrate genuine commitment to national reconciliation”.

Proof of life verification sought PARIS: The son of Myanmar’s deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi has asked France to help verify his mother is alive.

President Min Aung Hlaing last week ordered Suu Kyi to be moved to house arrest. But her son, Kim Aris, says he has still not heard from his mother. “I implore France to join my call so that we may obtain independently verified proof of life, and so that her fundamental rights are guaranteed: appropriate medical care, access to

TOUCHING BASE ... Japan Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi talking to soldiers taking part in the Balikatan military exercise involving US, Australian, Filipino and Japanese troops in Paoay, the Philippines. – AFPPIC

Vietnam launches fresh crackdown on online piracy HANOI: Vietnam will launch today a new crackdown on online piracy and counterfeit goods, aiming to boost detections by a fifth, the government said, after the United States revived the prospect of fresh tariffs. The US threat last week targets a “persistent failure” to tackle intellectual property violations. 20% this month, in Tuesday’s order published on the government portal. The Finance Ministry was told to “ensure that the number of cases of suspended customs clearance procedures and subsequent processing increases by at least 20% compared with May 2025”. branded Vietnam as the world’s worst offender for intellectual property infringements, warning it could open a tariff investigation.

country” in its annual report. That was the first such listing in 13 years in a category reserved for nations “with the most egregious IP related acts, policies, and practices with the greatest adverse impact on relevant US products”. Vietnam said it had made significant efforts to protect intellectual property and called for an “objective and balanced assessment” by Washington. – Reuters

Trump administration unveiled duties of 46% on imports from Vietnam and later cut to 20% in July 2025. They were reduced to 10% in February this year, after a US Supreme Court ruling struck down some of Trump’s worldwide tariffs, though his administration has pledged to restore tariffs using different legal tools. On April 30, the office of the US Trade Representative classified Vietnam as the only “priority foreign

Hung also set an end of May deadline for a 20% increase in cases tackling copyright violations by computer programs, movies, music, TV shows, online video games and for counterfeit goods sold at home. Hanoi launched a similar crackdown last year, shortly after the

They target imported shipments that yield clear evidence of counterfeit goods, the order said. The Trump administration has

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung told ministries to boost detection of copyright infringement by at least