06/05/2025

TUESDAY | MAY 6, 2025

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Cambodia politician found guilty of incitement

10 dead after tourist boats capsize in China

BEIJING: Ten people have died and 70 were hospitalised after strong winds caused boats carrying tourists to capsize at a scenic spot in southwestern China. The passenger boats overturned on Sunday afternoon on a river in Qianxi city, Guizhou province, state broadcaster CCTV said, sending 84 people into the water. As of yesterday afternoon 10 were dead, 70 have been hospitalised and four were unharmed, state media said. The last person reported missing earlier in the morning was found by rescue personnel around noon, but “showed no signs of life”, CCTV said. President Xi Jinping urged “all-out efforts” in the search and rescue operations and treatment of those injured, Xinhua news agency said. Xi also stressed the importance of strengthening safety measures at tourist spots and other large public venues, the agency said. Vice-Premier Zhang Guoqing was dispatched to the scene to oversee the rescue efforts, state media said. An investigation found the boats were not overloaded with passengers, CCTV said. Sunday’s incident comes just over two months after 11 people were killed in a boat collision in central China. The accident in Hunan province occurred when a passenger boat struck an industrial vessel, throwing 19 people overboard. – AFP Lack of trash bins frustrates visitors to Japan: Survey TOKYO: Visitors to Japan have cited the lack of trash bins in public areas, including at train stations, as the biggest inconvenience during their trip, Kyodo news agency reported, citing a recent government survey. According to the Japan Tourism Agency, the issue was cited by 21.9% of over 4,000 foreign visitors surveyed at five major airports in the country as their top concern. The survey was conducted on respondents before leaving New Chitose, Narita, Haneda, Kansai and Fukuoka airports between December and January. While the figure improved by about eight percentage points from the previous year, many of the respondents said that after failing to dispose of trash, they had to take it back to their accommodation. Japan used to have more trash bins in public spaces, but many were removed in recent years, partly due to safety concerns after terror attacks in the country. However, with the disappearance of most trash bins in public areas, littering in tourist spots has become a major public concern. Yohei Takemura, chief executive officer of Forcetec Inc, which installs solar-powered bins that can compress trash in public spaces, said popular tourist spots like New York and Paris each have about 30,000 public bins. While trash cans installed and maintained by the public sector have vanished in Tokyo, there are trash cans set up and maintained by the private sector, Takemura said. – Bernama

secretary-general Pritam Singh will continue to serve as Singapore’s Leader of the Opposition, according to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. He said Pritam will be provided with staff and resources to carry out his duties. “Just spoke to Mr Pritam Singh. The WP fielded a strong slate of candidates and put up a tough fight in this election. I look forward to the contributions of WP members in Parliament,” he posted on social media yesterday. PHNOM PENH: A Cambodian court sentenced an outspoken opposition politician to four years in jail for incitement yesterday, he told reporters, barring him from voting and holding office. Nation Power Party adviser Rong Chhun said he was found guilty of incitement to cause serious social unrest – a charge Cambodian authorities frequently deploy against activists. The case was brought against him last year after he met victims of land disputes and commented on Prime Minister Hun Manet’s visit to the border area with Vietnam. Outside Phnom Penh Municipal Court, Rong Chhun told reporters he would appeal against the “politically motivated” verdict which he described as “beyond unjust”. It was not clear if he would immediately be arrested. “My message is that the rulers must stop using the legal system to suppress politicians,” he said. He said the case “reflects our Cambodia has no full democracy and anybody with a dissenting voice who has popularity and support from the people is always suppressed and ousted from the political scene”. Rong Chhun was previously arrested in 2020 after accusing the Cambodian government of “irregularities” in the demarcation of the country’s eastern border with Vietnam. He was sentenced to two years in o Activist to appeal four-year sentence

Rong Chhun gestures near the Phnom Penh Municipal Court. – AFPPIC

2023 after his father, Hun Sen, stepped down following nearly four decades of rule. Sun Chanthy, the founder of the Nation Power Party established in 2023, was also sentenced to two years in jail in December for inciting social disorder. – AFP

political dissent. Another opposition leader was fined US$1.5 million (RM6.3 million) in July after remarking that Cambodia was “getting worse in terms of democracy” under the leadership of Hun Manet. Hun Manet assumed power in

jail in August 2021 but was released three months later by an appeal court, with the remaining sentence suspended for three years. Rights groups have long accused Cambodia’s government of using legal cases as a tactic to silence opposition voices and legitimate

Pritam remains opposition leader SINGAPORE: Workers’ Party Pritam was first

Constituency, Sengkang Group Representation Constituency (GRC) and Aljunied GRC. The role of Leader of the Opposition, formally established in 2020, comes with privileges and responsibilities. These include an office in parliament, staff support, additional resources and an allowance. The opposition leader is tasked with presenting alternative views during debates, as well as leading efforts to scrutinise the government’s positions and actions. – Bernama

formally appointed as Leader of the Opposition following the 2020 General Election by then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Wong noted that the WP has strengthened its parliamentary presence, securing 10 elected seats and two additional Non Constituency Member of Parliament seats. In the just-concluded election, the Workers’ Party successfully retained the 10 seats it won in the previous election: Hougang Single Member

Pritam will be provided with staff and resources. – AFPPIC

Indonesia suspends eye-scanning Worldcoin crypto project JAKARTA: Indonesian authorities said they have suspended Worldcoin, the eyeball-scanning cryptocurrency project co-founded by OpenAI chief Sam Altman under scrutiny in several countries. according to Worldcoin, but it has run into trouble over concerns about the use of personal data including in Hong Kong, Kenya, Spain and Portugal. ministry’s director-general for digital space supervision. The government will also summon Worldcoin’s local operators, PT Terang Bulan Abadi and PT Sandina Abadi Nusantara, to provide clarification over their activities, he said.

Hong Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data told the project last May to stop scanning and collecting iris and face images after finding it breached privacy laws. Portugal’s data authority announced the suspension of Worldcoin in March 2024, citing concerns over data protection for minors, weeks after Spain’s data protection agency also ordered the company to suspend its activities in the country. – AFP Kong’s

The suspension, announced on Sunday, followed reports from the public over suspicious activities on the platform, said a Communication and Digital Ministry official. “The freezing is a preventive measure to prevent potential risk to the public,” said Alexander Sabar, the

Since Worldcoin launched in 2023, millions of people have had their iris patterns scanned to create a “World ID”, proving they are human and allowing them to conduct transactions. The data is encrypted and safe,

The project aims to solve one of the main challenges facing the crypto industry that largely relies on pseudonyms to operate, leaving it vulnerable to spam bots and scams.