High-level Chinese delegation to visit North Korea: Report
SEOUL: A high-level Chinese delegation will travel to North Korea this week, the North’s official KCNA news agency reported on Monday (Jul 24), in the first acknowledged visit of its kind since Pyongyang shut its borders in the wake of the COVID-19 epidemic. Chinese Communist Party politburo member Li HongzhongContinue Reading
What comes next as Chinaâs tech crackdown winds down
More broadly, Xi’s administration blames widening social disparities in part on the internet boom, particularly in the pandemic era, and is moving to address any public discontent that could threaten its authority. That led to the “common prosperity” program, which has faded from public view but still guides the activitiesContinue Reading
Hong Kong questions more families of wanted activists
HONG KONG: Hong Kong national security police on Monday (Jul 24) took in family members of businessman-turned-activist Elmer Yuen for questioning, one of the eight fugitives with bounties on their heads for allegedly breaching national security. The city announced this month that eight pro-democracy activists, all of whom now liveContinue Reading
Mother and her 2 children, students among suspects arrested in anti-drug operation
YOUTHS ARRESTED FOR SUSPECTED DRUG ABUSE
On Jul 18, six people between the ages of 21 and 27 were arrested for suspected drug offences in a Sengkang residential unit.
Officers seized about 23g of what is believed to be cannabis, 1g of ketamine and four LSD stamps.
The youths may have abused drugs together in the unit on other occasions, according to CNB’s preliminary investigations.
On the same day, CNB raided another residential unit in Jurong West and nabbed a 23-year-old man for suspected drug offences.
Officers seized 3g of vegetable matter believed to be cannabis, 2g of psilocybin mushrooms with spores, three LSD stamps and drug paraphernalia from the unit.
In another case, a 17-year-old student was arrested for suspected drug offences in a Potong Pasir residential unit.
Authorities recovered biscuits with cannabis sprinkled onto them, allegedly prepared by the teenager.
This led to the arrest of two other students, both 18-year-olds, for suspected drug abuse.
“We urge parents and family members to have early conversations with their children on the harms of drugs, and to learn more about whom they might be spending time with and what they might be doing when they are out, and even when they are at home,” said Superintendent Royce Chua, commanding officer of CNB Enforcement F and L Divisions.
Under the Misuse of Drugs Act, it is an offence for a person to arrange gatherings for drug abuse. It is also an offence for the owner, tenant or occupier to permit the premises to be used for drug abuse or trafficking, said CNB.
Investigations into those arrested are ongoing.
Beware of fake ads from scammers misusing PM Lee’s image to sell investment opportunities
SINGAPORE: There has been an uptick in online advertisements misusing Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s image to sell investment opportunities. Some ads also point to scam sites that impersonate CNA’s website and misuse CNA’s logo to add a veneer of legitimacy.
The fraudulent ads also entice people to click through to the scam sites using false claims that suggest Mr Lee is in trouble with the law or that he is “wanted”.
Some of these fake ads have appeared on the CNA website due to third-party ad providers.
Members of the public are advised not to respond to these ads or click on their links.
Mr Lee on Saturday (Jul 22) said in a Facebook post that scammers tend to capitalise on his image after a major speech or announcement that generated a lot of media coverage, and such crypto scams and fake ads “have popped up again in the past few days”.
“If the ad uses my image to sell you a product, asks you to invest in some scheme, or even uses my voice to tell you to send money, it’s not me,” he wrote in the post.
In fake ads that CNA has seen, various images of PM Lee have been used to point to scam sites with false headlines such as “SPECIAL REPORT: Lee Hsien Loong’s Latest Investment has the Government and Big Banks Terrified”.
Taiwan investigates police after teenager sexually assaulted in botched sting
Getty ImagesTwo policemen in Taiwan are being investigated after a court convicted a man of sexually assaulting a teenage girl they used to help catch him.
The 13-year-old went to police after the man she met on an app tried to blackmail her into having sex with him.
Police instead sent her on a sting operation to catch the man, who had threatened to release her nude photos.
The two officers who shadowed her face negligence charges. Police apologised for failing to protect the girl.
The botched undercover operation took place in the north-western city of Taoyuan in November 2020, after the teenager went to police and agreed to help catch the man who was threatening her.
But her assault only came to light during the trial, when she told Taoyuan District Court what her attacker had done to her, a police spokesperson said. The man, surnamed Chang, was convicted of sexual assault and sentenced to eight years in prison.
The two officers from Zhongli precinct are being investigated for various breaches including neglect of duty as public officials, local media reported.
There is currently no law governing whether the police can recruit minors to go undercover in investigations, Taoyuan-based lawyer Fan Kang-hsiang told news website Focus Taiwan
But under Taiwan’s Civil Code, those who intentionally or negligently infringe upon the rights of others could be sued for damages.
Chang offered the girl NT$5,000 ($159; £120) and threatened to share her nude pictures on the internet if she did not comply with his requests, reports said, quoting court documents.
When she reported the matter to police in Taoyuan city, the girl was recruited to be part of a sting to expose Chang. She agreed because she was assured of her safety, reports said.
She then agreed to meet Chang at a McDonald’s outlet. Against the officers’ instructions, police say she “suddenly” got into Chang’s car. He drove her just 300m away and forced her to perform oral sex. She complied out of fear, reports said.
The two policemen gave chase on foot but could not catch up with his car, a police spokesperson said. Chang was arrested after he drove back to the restaurant.
The two officers are now being assigned only administrative police duties while the investigation is carried out.
Two higher-ranking officers, including the then-chief of the precinct’s police department and the then-chief of investigation, have also been disciplined.
Thai Ombudsman to ask Constitutional Court to delay PM selection on Jul 27
The Ombudsman has received 17 petitions since Mr Pita’s renomination was rejected by parliament last week. According to Mr Keirov, the Ombudsman viewed that the nomination of prime ministerial candidates is specifically stipulated in the constitution and therefore different from the submission of motions in the parliamentary sitting. The MoveContinue Reading
Ombudsman asks court to postpone PM vote
PUBLISHED : 24 Jul 2023 at 17:25
The Ombudsman on Monday asked the Constitutional Court to order the parliament to postpone the next vote for prime minister, and to rule on the rejected renomination of Move Forward Party (MFP) leader Pita Limjaroenrat.
Pol Lt Col Keerop Kritteeranont, secretary-general of the Office of the Ombudsman, said 17 complaints had been filed objecting to the parliament’s resolution rejecting the renomination of Mr Pita for prime minister and declaring it a violation of their constitutional rights.
The complaints came from both members of the public and members of the parliament, he said.
Some complainants proposed the Constitutional Court postpone the next parliamentary vote for prime minister pending a ruling by the court. The next round voting is scheduled for Thursday, he said.
The Ombudsman accordingly asked the Constitutional Court to postpone the prime ministerial vote by the House and the Senate pending a ruling, to prevent any damage that would be difficult to mend in the future, the secretary-general said.
MFP secretary-general Chaithawat Tulanon said earlier on Monday that the party had petitioned the Ombudsman to ask the Constitutional Court to rule if Mr Pita could be renominated.
MFP MP Panyarat Pusitanon (Nonthaburi) later confirmed she and 16 other MFP MPs had jointly filed one of the complaints made to the Office of the Ombudsman.
The parliament on July 19 rejected the renomination of Mr Pita for prime minister by majority vote on a procedural issue. His opponents argued that parliamentary regulation 41 bans the resubmission of a failed motion during the same session, and that included Mr Pita’s renomination.
Pro-Pita parties argued that the nomination of Mr Pita for prime minister was not a general motion and should not be subject to regulation 41.
Also on Monday, 115 law lecturers from 19 institutions expressed their opposition to the parliament’s passing of the resolution on July 19 to block the renomination of Mr Pita.
Singapore rolls out multi-agency effort to make pre-planning for old age more accessible
COMMUNITY OUTREACH EFFORTS
To encourage more people to plan for old age, the government has launched a series of community outreach efforts such as roadshows.
The campaign comes after a recent survey by the Public Service Division found that more than one in 10 Singaporeans lack knowledge about the LPA, and nearly 20 per cent did not know how to make advance care plans.
Agency for Integrated Care chief executive officer Tan Kwang Cheak said the aim is to make it easier and more convenient for people to be able to complete these care plans.
“The challenge for us is really to focus on the call to action, translating awareness to them actually coming through to… then complete their LPA or ACP together with a loved one or a spokesperson,” he noted.
As part of the campaign, the government will also roll out mobile clinics.
“There will also be free certification services, as well as advanced care planning facilitation sessions,” said Ms Regina Chang, a public guardian at the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF).
“It will be rolled out over the course of the year at our various community touchpoints.”
Indonesia sees rising wildfire risk amid dry weather conditions
JAKARTA: Indonesian authorities said on Monday (Jul 24) the number of areas where a wildfire could occur has doubled over the past week due to dry weather, raising concerns over widespread forest fires even before the country hits peak dry season. The number of ‘hotspots’ recorded between Jul 17 andContinue Reading