03/09/2026

THURSDAY | SEPT 3, 2026

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HK activist pleads guilty to collusion with foreign bodies

Sri Lanka-US agents bust Pakistan drug network COLOMBO: Anti-narcotics agents from the United States and Sri Lanka seized almost half a tonne of crystal methamphetamine following a joint operation targeting a Pakistani drug network, police said yesterday. Some 463kg of the synthetic drug were seized from a shipping container that arrived in Colombo over the weekend and two Pakistani men were arrested, police deputy inspector-general Ashoka Dharmasena told reporters. The US embassy in Colombo said the narcotics, valued at US$21 million (RM84.9 million) and concealed in bath towels, were meant to be smuggled to international markets via Sri Lanka. The US Drug Enforcement Administration’s office and Sri Lanka Police Narcotics Bureau conducted the joint operation, the embassy said in a statement, after tracking shipping containers from Pakistan between Aug 14 and Aug 29. “This operation underscores the strength of the US-Sri Lanka partnership in dismantling criminal organisations that fund terrorism and threaten communities in both our countries,” it said. Dharmasena said they had also arrested a Sri Lankan and confirmed the operation followed a “tip-off”. Sri Lanka’s anti-narcotics drive since October has resulted in the seizure of nearly 14 tonnes of illegal drugs, he said. The haul includes methamphetamine, also known as ice, heroin and cocaine. Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told parliament that most of the illegal drugs came from Afghanistan and Pakistan, and were smuggled into the island by sea. He said there were an estimated 400,000 drug users in the island nation of 22 million people. In October 2024, a court here sentenced 10 Iranian men to life imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to heroin smuggling. Sri Lanka’s largest single seizure of narcotics was in December 2016, when customs officials found 800kg of cocaine in a shipping container of timber. – AFP Mount Sinabung erupts again JAKARTA: Mount Sinabung in North Sumatra province erupted again yesterday, as more than 600 residents have been evacuated amid increased volcanic activity. According to the Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation the eruption began at 7.20am (8.20am in Malaysia), with an ash column rising 1,000m above the summit or 3,460m above sea level. “The ash column was observed to be grey to brown and thick, moving towards the east and southeast,” it said in a report. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency said 615 residents from 211 families in Kuta Tengah had been moved to an emergency response post, with the village among areas identified as being at risk. Agency acting head of Data, Information and Disaster Communication Centre, Berton Panjaitan said the danger zone had been expanded based on recommendations from the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry. “Residents and visitors are not permitted to carry out activities within a 3km radius of the summit, as well as within a sectoral radius of up to 6km towards the southeast,” he said. The situation also prompted the Consulate General of Malaysia in Medan on Tuesday to urge Malaysians in or heading to the Karo Regency to remain vigilant, avoid areas surrounding Mount Sinabung and follow instructions from Indonesian authorities. – Bernama

Wong has had a lengthy “opportunity to reflect on the path that he has taken ... and the consequences of his actions,” Chan said. Wong has read a diverse selection of hundreds of books in detention and was in a positive frame of mind, he added. He eventually wanted to be released to look after his ageing parents. Judge Tam said he would decide on the sentence “as soon as possible” and ended the hearing

Wong is already in jail serving an existing sentence on an earlier national security charge of conspiracy to commit subversion after he was among a group of activists who took part in an unofficial primary election in 2020. His current sentence is scheduled to end in January.

The Lincoln , with roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines, was deployed in November last year and was involved in the naval blockade and combat operations in the war with Iran. It set a modern-day record for consecutive days at sea, according to Democratic lawmakers. Typically naval deployments are for between six and nine months but during times of conflict that can be extended. Accompanied by other US naval vessels, the aircraft carrier will stop in Thailand – the United States’ only treaty partner in mainland Southeast Asia – for five days of rest and recuperation, according to Thai officials. “Our arrival in Laem Chabang provides a well-deserved opportunity for our sailors and Marines to rest and recharge. It also underscores the strong and enduring partnership and alliance between the United States and Thailand,” said the commander of Carrier Strike Group 3, Rear Admiral Robert E. Loughran. “What this strike group has accomplished is truly historic. I could not be prouder of the exceptional professionalism and expertise demonstrated by every member of this team during our operations.” Thailand became a US treaty ally in 1954, before being designated a major non-Nato ally in 2003. Thailand’s armed forces have long been reliant on US defence hardware and both countries’ militaries maintain strong relations and hold annual exercises. Bangkok has made clear the visit is for logistics and rest and recuperation in line with its treaty commitments and is not connected to the conflict in the Middle East. The arrival of thousands of military personnel has raised hopes of an economic boost for the nearby resort city of Pattaya. A fleet of around 40 buses will ferry the HONG KONG: Prominent democracy activist Joshua Wong (pic) pleaded guilty yesterday to a charge of collusion with foreign entities, a national security crime that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. Wong, 29, rose to international prominence as a teenage activist in Hong Kong, one of a group of youngsters whose protest efforts have now effectively been outlawed by a National Security Law that Beijing imposed on the Asian financial hub in 2020. Wearing a dark blue shirt, black-rimmed glasses and with a short-back-and-sides haircut, Wong waved and nodded to people from the court’s dock, inhaling deeply at times, before pleading guilty to William Tam, a government approved national security judge, at the High Court in Admiralty district. Several Western diplomats attended the hearing. The prosecution highlighted what it said was an international media and political campaign by Demosisto, a now-disbanded political party that once backed a referendum on Hong Kong’s sovereignty and counted Wong as one of its leaders, that sought to bring sanctions and other hostile actions on Hong Kong and China in 2019 and 2020. o Detainee has served six years in jail for subversion

A charge sheet seen earlier by Reuters accused Wong of having conspired with exiled activist Nathan Law and others to ask foreign countries, institutions, organisations, or individuals outside China to impose sanctions or blockades. Such actions against Hong Kong or China, along with other hostile activities targeting them, took place in 2020, between July 1 and Nov 23, it said. Wong’s case and others are being closely watched by human rights groups and some Western countries tracking the implementation of the National Security Law. In mitigation, Wong’s lawyer Derek Chan urged the judge to consider that his client’s actions were not at the grave end of the offence. While the crime carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, Chan requested a term at the “upper end of the lower band” of three to 10 years be considered, as Wong was still a young man who had already served nearly six years in prison.

without setting a date. His case comes after two other activists were found guilty of inciting subversion last month after they used the phrase “end one-party dictatorship” in their political activities. Lee Cheuk-yan, 69, and Chow Hang-tung, 41, were part of a group known for organising annual vigils marking Beijing’s 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. Hong Kong’s National Security Law was passed on June 30, 2020, in part as a response to months of protests that roiled the city in 2019. While human rights groups and Western countries criticised the law as excessive, given the high degree of autonomy Hong Kong was promised following its handover from British to Chinese rule in 1997, Hong Kong and Chinese officials said it was vital to restore stability. – Reuters

US aircraft carrier arrives in Thailand LAEM CHABANG: US Navy aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln steamed into Thailand’s Laem Chabang port yesterday after 286 days at sea, including a long deployment in the Middle East, amid reports of mental health concerns and deteriorating conditions on board.

USS Abraham Lincoln approaching Laem Chabang yesterday. – AFPPIC

including parts of Bangkok and Pattaya, despite occasional crackdowns. On the eve of the Lincoln’s arrival, Pattaya street vendors near the city’s infamous “Walking Street” nightlife zone were excited by the prospect of a boost in sales. “It’s been so quiet these days,” said clothes seller Kadsalin Ketpa, 43, who stocked up on US basketball vests and elephant-patterned trousers ahead of the port visit. “I hope with their arrival they would drive my sales up. I’ve prepared some products for them, I don’t know if they will like them.” Food seller Saroch, 45, said port visits by the US military were good for business and always something to look forward to. “They’re here for drinks, having fun and letting loose,” Saroch said. – Reuters

military personnel between Pattaya and the port at Laem Chabang where the vessels will dock, Pattaya Mayor Poramase Ngampiches said. Pattaya sits on the Gulf of Thailand, about 150km southeast of Bangkok. “There are certain places and activities that the personnel are prohibited from participating in, such as all kinds of water sports, jet skiing, bungee jumping, wrestling, and boxing,” he said. Police will deploy additional patrols around Pattaya’s main beachfront and nightlife district, following raids over the weekend that led to 40 to 50 people being detained for suspected prostitution, officials said. Although illegal in Thailand, the sex industry operates openly in major tourism hubs,