Thai police bust illegal crypto trading operations
Eight sites raided in Bangkok, Chon Buri, and Phuket, and five arrests made.
PUBLISHED: 24 Apr 2025 at 16: 26
In raids on eight areas in Bangkok and two tourist provinces, police have detained five suspects who are involved in improper crypto trading. Some of the suspects are alleged to possess laundered money for drug and smuggling networks.
According to Pol Maj Gen Thatphum Jaruphat, commander of the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD ), the crackdown was a part of” Operation Crypto Phantom,” which targets illegal crypto trading companies that are involved in laundering money for illegal businesses.
Last year, eight spots in Phuket, Chon Buri, and Bangkok were raided. According to Pol Maj Gen Thatphum, numerous currency exchange companies in the three tourist cities allegedly provided illegal cryptocurrency trading, mainly Tether ( USDT), to help consumers avoid paying taxes and avoiding financial transaction checks.
” Some businesses have been discovered laundering cash for illegal activities, particularly systems of those engaged in illicit drugs, call center connivance, and online gambling,” according to Pol Maj Gen Thatphum.
More than 1, 000 monetary transactions with links to illegitimate companies, with over 14 billion ringgit in circulation, were discovered by investigators, he added.
Five people were detained by ECD officials during the raids for engaging in illegal blockchain trading. The eight spots also contained computers, cellular phones, bank accounts passbooks, and other items.
The Economic Crime Suppression Division’s captain, Pol Maj Gen Thatphum Jaruphat, discusses the results of a assault on illegal crypto trading in three Thai tourist places. ( Photo provided/Wassayos Ngamkham )
Is China suddenly cool? – Asia Times
A 20-year-old American YouTuber and digital star named ShowSpeed just live-streamed hourslong tour of Chinese locations, including Beijing and Shanghai, to show his almost 40 million viewers the locations.
IShowSpeed, whose true name is Darren Jason Watkins Jr., admired friendly locals, flawless streets, and the high-speed Wi-Fi on the train, and Chinese fans heckled him for selfies on the Great Wall during the March activities.
Beijing’s state media seized the spotlight, with one Foreign blog claiming that the American apex had “eliminated all American misinformation about China” in the eye of a new era.
This analysis is confirmed by IShowSpeed’s YouTube site.
One leading comment reads,” China is therefore underappreciated wtf.” Another person writes,” I realized how foolish my earlier sights on China were after watching this picture.”
Such feedback don’t provide any information. However, as someone who studies the impact of Chinese soft strength, I find the sight of a young American burning China’s picture to Western audiences to be incredibly important.
It provides an illustration of how smooth energy standards have been altered in recent years, and how China appears to be having some success appealing to the world’s children.
blending politicians and music
Soft power refers to a nation’s capacity to shape people’s preferences through society, values, and diplomatic relations by influencing others through attraction rather than coercion. The phrase was coined by political professor Joseph Nye to describe how nations job authority by imposing demands on others through military or economic stress.
US sweet energy didn’t have to make that much of itself throughout the Cold War and into the 21st century. It exploded from surge boxes after being broadcast on MTV and sported fabric. Rock music crossed the Iron Curtain when politics don’t, with painters like Madonna and Bruce Springsteen reaching Russian children more efficiently than any adviser.
And in China, Michael Jackson gained a following also before McDonald’s or Hollywood films, bringing about a beautiful, open America that so many people desired.
American society wasn’t really leisure to some growing up in China in the 1990s; it was persuasion, aspiration, and even subversion.
The blockbusters from Beijing
The US is still, of course, a cultural powerhouse, and American actors and musicians are still recognizable all over the world. However, there are indications that China is attempting to erode that position.
Take the movie. Chinese movies were once viewed as niche films in other countries. An animated Chinese feature film called” Ne Zha 2” broke box office records in January 2025. A stunning retelling of a mythic boy-god’s story, the film has grossed an astonishing US$$ 2 billion worldwide, outperforming many Hollywood studios.
It is now the highest-grossing animated film of all time, and it was produced by a Chinese studio with hundreds of local animators.
Beijing made a quick decision to incorporate” Ne Zha 2″ as a representation of China’s creative rise and” soft power moment” in terms of culture. The success of the movie was praised by state media as evidence that Chinese folklore and artistry can captivate audiences around the world just as effectively as Marvel superheroes.
” Ne Zha 2″ isn’t a one-off. The Beijing-based Wanda Films ‘” Detective Chinatown 1900,” which was released in January, is the year’s third-highest-grossing film to date.
Hollywood, which was once confident in its cultural monopoly, now faces a massive new rival on the global stage, one supported by 1.4 billion people and a government determined to overthrow Western pop culture dominance. Additionally, there are some international audiences. Ne Zha 2 also had a positive impact when it first aired in the US.
Gamers travel to the east in search of adventure.
Additionally, it includes non-profits.
Video games have been a stronghold in American and Japanese culture for decades. Black Myth: Wukong, a Chinese-developed game that was created by a Hangzhou studio, has become popular worldwide.
When its first gameplay trailers for Black Myth: Wukong first appeared in 2020, they were so popular that they were immediately followed along with its promising AAA-level graphics and action that drew inspiration from China’s well-known” Journey to the West” tale.
Skeptics questioned whether the finished product could quite possibly compete with the likes of the well-known series God of War or the Elden Ring in George R. R. Martin’s style. But those doubts vanished when the game finally debuted in 2024. In the summer of 2024, Black Myth: Wukong debuted to a great deal of worldwide support, instantly claiming a spot alongside the biggest Western franchises.
It is China’s first true blockbuster video game, and it is evidence that the nation can produce world-class entertainment, according to critics all over the world.
It’s about narrative power for the Chinese state, according to me, not just about snagging titles in China’s gaming industry.
Instead of, say, a Marvel superhero or a Tolkien epic, millions of young people around the world subtly shift the cultural center of gravity eastward as they spend 30 or 40 hours a week immerse in Sun Wukong’s adventures.
It suggests that Chinese myths are evolving to appeal to people around the world as cool as Western ones. And that is soft power.
Small screen, big impact
In the meantime, another Chinese export has deeply ingrained itself into global culture on the smaller screens we carry in our pockets: TikTok.
TikTok has over 1.6 billion monthly users in over 160 countries as of 2025.
TikTok’s cultural reach is even more impressive. The app’s algorithm has helped songs by musicians from South Korea or Nigeria reach the top of the global charts, and it has inspired grandmothers in Italy to try Mexican recipes from grandmothers in Italy who were previously featured on a popular Chinese app. Teenagers in Kansas are learning Indonesian dance moves.
In essence, TikTok has created a brand-new transnational pop culture commons, one that is owned by a Beijing-based business. Yes, users all create the content on TikTok, not dictated by the Chinese government, but the platform’s very existence is a testament to Chinese tech entrepreneurship and global ambition.
Every second spent scrolling TikTok by Western youths is a moment they are residing in a cultural sphere created by China. It’s no wonder the US government is worried about TikTok’s influence because it’s about cultural security more than just data security.
Since outright banning it has proven to be politically challenging, TikTok has continued to steadily firmly established itself as a staple of global youth culture.
Blockbuster movies, popular video games, and viral apps all feature a larger truth: China is rapidly gaining soft power as America runs the risk of letting its own erode. China expands its influence through the Belt and Road Initiative and development loans at a time when the US reduces foreign aid.
And while the US enacts visa restrictions for students and scientists, China’s universities, some of which are now in the top 20 on the world, are becoming more appealing.
Can the US maintain its cultural diversity?
It is notoriously difficult to assess the impact of soft power because most countries that use it play a very long game.
Beijing’s push for soft power is not guaranteed to succeed everywhere. Many societies continue to doubt Beijing’s intentions, and its authoritarian system limits the appeal of its political model in democratic societies.
However, there are obvious indications that younger generations are buying into China’s cultural exports.
The US once almost automatically set the pace for global culture. However, as China invests a lot in its creative industries and digital platforms, it is increasingly shaping the narrative and themes for a growing global audience.
The question is no longer whether China has the ability to compete for soft power power, but whether America has a strategy to hold its ground.
Shaoyu Yuan is a research scientist at Rutgers University – Newark’s Division of Global Affairs.
This article was republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the text of the article.
K-pop: Bain of group Just B comes out at concert
Bain, a member of K-pop group Only B, has revealed to his fans that he is “proud to be a part of the LGBT community,” which is a rare move in a genre where stars generally keep details of their private lives private, especially those that involve relationships.
The 23-year-old is one of only a select group of K-pop painters to formally address the issue.
Bain made the announcement while performing a piano at a concert in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening in front of the crowd.
According to films that are available on social media, the group cheered up loudly at the time.
Before jumping into a performance of Born This Way by pop icon Lady Gaga, whom he referred to as “my queen,” he continued,” You are seen, you are loved, and you were born this way.”
The news was welcomed by his colleagues. Siwoo, a part of Only B, claimed that he was crying while watching Bain’s efficiency. He said,” I know how hard it was for him, and that made me want to cry more,” he told the Korean media outlet News1.
Supporters of the band have also shown their help. Under his Instagram post, a top-liked post reads,” We love you so much and are therefore proud of you for being yourself.”
You truly deserve love. I’m so happy to support you. Be happy for who you are, wrote another lover.
A six-member band that was founded in 2021, Just B has released five Chapters and numerous songs.
In South Korea’s highly competitive pleasure sector, coming up is still incredibly unique. Gay marriage is not permitted in the country, but it is still forbidden, and same-sex relationship is not permitted.
In a statement from Human Rights Watch for 2022, the discrimination against LGBT people in South Korea was described as “pervasive.”
Bain is not the first K-pop artist to have a solo career. Lara, an Indian-American representative of the lady group Katseye, made her debut as a gay person on a K-pop lover site just last month. Jiae from the now-disbanded child party Wassup revealed on Instagram that she is lesbian in 2020.
India PM vows to pursue Kashmir attackers to ‘ends of the Earth’
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed on Thursday ( Apr 24 ) to punish all those responsible for the horrifying attack in Kashmir that resulted in the deaths of 26 men. In his first address since Tuesday’s attack in the Himalayan area, he declared,” I tell the whole world, IndiaContinue Reading
Property tycoon Ong Beng Seng allowed to leave Singapore for over two weeks with additional S$800,000 bail
Ong Beng Seng, a property tycoon and hotelier, was given permission to leave Singapore for more than two weeks on Thursday ( Apr 24 ), along with additional bail conditions, including S$ 800, 000 in security.  ,
This is in addition to his current S$ 800,000 loan, bringing his full parole to S$ 1.6 million.  ,
The 79-year-old Malaysian will be traveling to London, Boston, Miami, New York, and Florence between April 28 and May 16 for work-related reasons, according to court records.  ,
Ong, who has bone marrow tumor, is also traveling for medical-related factors, according to a spokeswoman for Ong, who has spine bone cancer.
The 79-year-old business was charged on October 4 in connection with past transport secretary S Iswaran, who received a 12-month prison term.  ,
He is accused of conspiring with a common servant to steal money by making plans and sending Iswaran to Doha in December 2022.
The procedures were:
- An Ong personal helicopter flight from Singapore to Doha that is bound for Doha is worth US$ 7,700.
- Through Singapore GP, a one-night remain at Four Seasons Hotel Doha is S$ 4, 737.63.
- A Singapore GP journey in business school from Doha to Singapore is priced at S$ 5,700.
Ong is the head of Singapore GP, a culture producer for Formula 1.
For the second charge of obstructing justice, Ong  is accused of assisting Iswaran in making a$ 5,700 payment to Singapore GP between May 18, 2023 and May 25, 2023. Ong  is charged with abetting the obstructing justice.  ,
Iswaran’s business school flight seat from Doha to Singapore on December 11, 2022, costing this amount, which had been covered by Singapore GP.  ,
Prior to October 2024, Ong was given permission to leave Singapore  for more than a year for health and work-related reasons.  ,
Ong must give his journey itinerary to the investigating official as well as details of where he will be staying globally in accordance with the terms of his most recent application.  ,
He must always be in contact with him and turn in his card within 24 hrs of returning.
Ong’s event is scheduled for an April 25 pre-trial meeting.  ,
Chinese astronauts set to blast off for space station
The staff will spend six months working on Tiangong, installing protective gear against area debris, and conducting physics and life sciences experiments. For the first time, they will also provide underwater flatworms, which are renowned for their regenerative capabilities, aboard. The place place will also be performing spacewalks, replenishing supplies,Continue Reading
GE2025: Line must be drawn between opposition unity and party interests, says NSP chief
National Solidarity Party ( NSP) secretary-general Spencer Ng reacted on Thursday ( Apr 24 ) by reversing calls for opposition parties to step aside in some constituencies by saying that opposition unity shouldn’t come at the expense of a party’s own interests.
After a haywire at the Kampung Admiralty Hawker Centre in Sembawang GRC, Mr. Ng said,” There must be a line.” What is the worth of our life if we move whenever you direct us to do so? There is absolutely no benefit.
And they should do some soul searching to get treated by other opposition parties in this manner.
He warned against allowing events to “barge their manner through” to interest statements to constituencies by misusing the idea of criticism unity.
The second walkover in a public election since 2011 was addressed by Mr. Ng in response to questions about cooperation among the opposition parties.
As more political parties and different leadership styles emerge, NSP would like a “unified other words,” he said, but it is” close to impossible” to have a fully unified criticism.
After no other candidates submitted nomination papers for the constituency on Wednesday, a five-member People’s Action Party ( PAP ) team from Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC was elected.
Eventually, some leaders of the opposition parties expressed disappointment with the result.  ,
When questioned on Wednesday whether the NSP regrets not placing a group in Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC, Mr. Ng replied that he had not. He claimed that NSP had made it clear from the beginning that it would concentrate on the GRCs in Sembawang and Tampines.
The group last contested Marine Parade in 2011, fielding a team that included Ms. Nicole Seah and Mr. Ng, who afterwards joined the Workers ‘ Party.
In the end, he said, parties must decide between making decisions that are compatible with their own method and what they believe will benefit voters.
According to Mr. Ng, events must have self-assurance and consider why they initially embraced politics. We are here to support the populace. We are not here to engage in table games. ”  ,
NSP CHIEF PROPOSAL: GST ROLLBACK A” RADICAL
According to Mr. Ng, some parties have also suggested “radical” or “unpractical” policies, such as repealing the Goods and Services Tax ( GST ).  ,
In their election manifestos, the Progress Singapore Party demanded that the GST be reduced to 7 %. The Singapore Democratic Party also demanded that the income be reduced, with gathering chairman Paul Tambyah calling for it to be “at the very least” reduced.
Parties frequently fail to comprehend the effect of a GST lowering request, Mr. Ng said. People would like more tax cuts and be asked why the rate may be reduced by more than 5 to 4 or 3 percent, he said.
Instead, NSP looks for ways to boost income, such as obtaining higher shield investment results through organizations like GIC, and redirect those profits again into Singapore’s long-term resources.
Mr. Ng said that some old inhabitants also spoke to NSP applicants during their walkabouts about having to care for grandkids while their kids are at work in addition to cost-of-living issues.
NSP is proposing to construct a multigenerational village in Sembawang to address these issues by utilizing the strengths of various generations to foster closer family relationships. A comprehensive proposal, titled” Sembawang, the life place,” according to Mr. Ng, may be made available after this month.  ,
A separate strategy for Tampines GRC, the various district that NSP is contesting, is also in the plays. NSP will face off against the Workers ‘ Party, People’s Party, and People’s Power Party in a multi-cornered competition in this hotly contested GRC.Continue Reading
Malaysia’s health ministry under fire for ‘lavish’ Hari Raya celebration amid healthcare workers’ woes
In response to challenges faced by healthcare workers who are reportedly underpaid and overworked, Malaysia’s Health Ministry has come under fire for organizing a seemingly extravagant Hari Raya event on Tuesday ( Apr 22 ).  ,
At the Majlis Sambutan Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2025, which Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim attended, former Indonesian artists like Siti Nurhaliza and Jamal Abdillah performed.
Siti Nurhaliza made clear on Instagram that she had performed for free in response to the backlash, while Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad, the health minister, acknowledged that” criticism received is good” and appreciated the issues raised.  ,
Allow everyone remember this,” he said. He stated in a blog on X that “we’ll continue to work with our health staff” about systemic issues.  ,
One of the performers, according to Dzulkefly, performed “from the offices” without paying any money to the prime minister or the employees in the medical field.  ,
These workers, he claimed, included members of delegations from other organizations, departments, universities, and private sector entities that have been a part of the nation’s medical system.  ,
In response to the struggles of the medical industry, many healthcare workers have criticized the occasion on social media, including Hartal Doktor Kontrak, a group of lease doctors, who called it” tone blind.”
Our OT ( overtime ) allowance is extremely low, claims are frequently rejected, and some equipment cannot be purchased because of funding constraints, but at least the ministry’s top management can enjoy a night out with famous artists, according to Hartal Doktor Kontrak, in a Facebook post on Wednesday that received over 5,400 likes and 2,700 comments.  ,
While the Ministry of Health chooses to host a beautiful Hari Raya musical featuring stars, netizen @ksampoh posted on X on Wednesday,” It is disheartening to watch Malaysia’s frontline health workers grapple with paid on-call claims, serious workload, and hazardous working conditions.”
Diving trainees, instructors banned from taking photos underwater
PUBLISHED: 24 Apr 2025 at 14: 25
Thailand’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment forbids scuba-diving employees and teachers from taking marine pictures during their education and evaluation jumps.
The restrictions, which is included in a new supervisory get signed by Natural Resources and Environment Minister Chalermchai Sri-on, has been made public by The Royal Gazette.
The restrictions is intended to protect coral, which have been severely damaged by swimming, according to the purchase.
Must qualified divers accompany them in their marine photos if swimming instructors and trainees must do so.
These underwater photographers must pass the National Association of Underwater Instructors ( NAUI) or equivalent Advanced Open Water course offered by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors ( PADI) or Scuba Schools International ( SSI).
The secretary for culture also forbids snorkeling at deep less than two meters above corals. If a snorkeler hasn’t taken a course for scuba diving or freediving, they had wear life jackets.
According to the Act on the Development of Marine and Coastal Resources Management, Pinsak Suraswadi, director-general of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, any swimming users who violated the attempt would be subject to a prison term of up to two years and/or a fine of up to 200, 000 ringgit.  ,
GE2025: Important to make clear GST is taken from top and redistributed across population, says Shanmugam
Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam stated on Thursday ( Apr 24 ) that the goods and services tax system ( GST ) is intended to take “from the top” and redistribute across the population. This should also be made clear by the opposition, which the government should also make clear.  ,
Mr. Shanmugam gave an illustration of a typical family living in a three or four-room apartment that will receive thousands of dollars in support while speaking to reporters at the launch of the People’s Action Party ( PAP ) Nee Soon GRC manifesto.  ,
” And they don’t spend that much in GST,” she continued. The top money earners are largely responsible for paying the GST. The bottom 20 % of it is paid for, he claimed.  ,
” He pays S$ 9 in GST if somebody goes to a restaurant and pays S$ 100. They pay 90 cents in GST if they visit a stall center and make the payment of S$ 10. That S$ 9 is taken by the government and redistributed to those receiving the$ 10 meals, he continued.
” So it is taken from the bottom and redistributed across. And I wish the criticism had the ability to clarify that. I believe it’s important to make that clear rather than just say some things that are perhaps just half true.”
What if people take into account when evaluating the proposals made by the parties contesting Nee Quickly GRC – PAP and Red Dot United ( RDU) were Mr. Shanmugam responding to a problem.
RDU previously announced that it would call for the GST to be reduced to 7 %, which its secretary-general Ravi Philemon claimed may increase the amount of money in the hands of the electorate.
In the group’s declaration, which was released last Saturday, it also suggested starting from the source with policies that prioritize good wages and provide employment security through a” citizens-first” hiring plan.  ,
Another opposition parties have called for deductions and rollbacks in their proposals, including the Workers ‘ Party and the Progress Singapore Party.
Mr. Shanmugam made the same remarks that were originally made by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and the Ministry of Finance, reiterating the claim that any GST increase would be more than offset by the help provided this season.  ,
He added that it will continue to compensate it over the next five times.
The primary secretary stated that a large number of homeowners won’t experience the effects of the GST because what they pay in the GST is more than what the government is offering.