Malaysia court frees Sam Ke Ting who crashed into 8 teens racing on modified bikes in 2017 - The Straits Times

PUTRAJAYA - The Malaysian Court of Appeal has acquitted a woman of a reckless driving charge linked to a crash that killed eight teenagers riding modified bicycles in Johor six years ago.

In a unanimous decision, a three-judge panel chaired by Justice Hadhariah Syed Ismail allowed Ms Sam Ke Ting’s appeal to quash her guilty verdict by the High Court, on grounds that the charge was defective.

“In this case, the charge was incorrect, it was defective. The conviction was also incorrect. On these grounds alone, the appeal is allowed,” Justice Hadhariah said on Tuesday.

The other judges on the panel were Justice Hashim Hamzah and Justice Azman Abdullah.

Justice Hadhariah said a guilty verdict could only follow the finding of fault of the driver.

“That is how the law stands. You cannot simply say that because it is a fatal accident, the driver must have been liable. That is not what the law says,” she said.

Justice Hadhariah then set aside the High Court’s decision and acquitted and discharged Ms Sam.

“You are now a free person,” she said.

The court also ordered for Ms Sam’s RM10,000 (S$3,030) bail money to be returned to her.

Ms Sam is largely seen as a victim of circumstance in Malaysia after crashing into a group of dozens of teenagers racing illegal bicycles – which had been modified by having their brakes and lights removed and handlebars lowered – on a poorly lit road at 3.20am on Feb 18, 2017.

The eight who died were aged between 13 and 16.

She was charged with reckless driving and causing deaths, and was previously acquitted twice – by the Magistrates’ Court in 2019 and 2021.

In her lower court trial, it was determined that she had not been driving under the influence of alcohol, was alert at the wheel, and was possibly driving below the speed limit at the time of the crash.

But a second appeal by the prosecution took her to the High Court, where on April 13, 2022, a Johor Bahru High Court judge allowed the prosecution’s appeal and convicted Ms Sam of driving recklessly and sentenced her to six years in jail and a RM6,000 fine.

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2023-04-11 07:21:46Z
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Chinese aircraft, ships remain around Taiwan after drills end - CNA

The ministry published a map showing that on Monday Chinese aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait's median line, which normally serves as an unofficial barrier, to its north and centre.

It also showed 15 carrier-based J-15s, most likely flying from China's Shandong aircraft carrier, flying east of Taiwan. Taiwan has been tracking the Shandong in the Western Pacific since last week.

Reuters reporters on the coast near the Chinese city of Fuzhou on Tuesday saw separate, and much more low-key, drills taking place, with a warship firing at targets. Those exercises were announced before China's massed drills around Taiwan.

Fuzhou sits close to the Taiwan-controlled Matsu islands.

"DEFEND THE COUNTRY"

Tsai said Taiwan's armed forces and coast guard reacted calmly and professionally to China's exercises, and she thanked everyone involved.

"Although China's military exercises have come to an end, the nation's military and national security team will continue to stick to their posts and defend the country," she added.

The exercises have also caused concern in Japan, especially as its southern islands sit close to Taiwan and could become caught up in a conflict.

The Japanese island of Okinawa is host to a major US air force base, and last August when China staged war games to protest the visit of then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taipei, Chinese missiles landed within Japan's exclusive economic zone.

Japanese defence minister Yasukazu Hamada on Tuesday described China's military drills around Taiwan as "intimidating training" to seize sea and air control around the island.

China appeared to have shown an "uncompromising attitude" regarding Taiwan issues through the drills, Hamada told reporters.

Life in Taiwan has continued as normal despite the tensions, with no signs of panic or disruption, and civilian flights around the island, including over the Taiwan Strait, were also uninterrupted.

Both Taiwan's ruling and opposition parties, in a rare show of unity, put out a joint statement from their parliament caucuses condemning the drills.

"The people and government of Taiwan have the right to conduct normal exchanges with other countries and contribute to the international community through international participation," the statement said. "The Chinese authorities have no right to obstruct and cannot change the strong will of the Taiwanese people to go out into the world."

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2023-04-11 03:41:00Z
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China’s PLA declares Taiwan live-fire drills over, with blockade capacity tested - South China Morning Post

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1. China’s PLA declares Taiwan live-fire drills over, with blockade capacity tested  South China Morning Post
2. China says it has successfully completed exercises around Taiwan  CNA
3. China's Weibo mutes spammers for hijacking trending #Taiwan Strait drill topic  Bangkok Post
4. China simulates striking Taiwan on second day of drills  The Straits Times
5. China's military drills following Tsai US visit 'more muted' than after Pelosi's Taiwan trip: Analysts  CNA
6. View Full coverage on Google News

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2023-04-10 16:00:27Z
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Recent intel leak shows US spies on not only their foes, but their allies too: Analysts - CNA

AWKWARD SITUATION FOR THE US

The recent leak of classified documents is “nothing too serious”, as such spying behaviour among nations has been going on for a long time, analysts told CNA’s Asia Now. 

US allies such as Israel and South Korea “know very well that the United States remains acutely interested in what happens internally to the politics and the militaries of their countries”, said Dr John Blaxland, professor of international security and intelligence studies at the Australian National University's College of Asia and the Pacific. 

“The United States is hugely invested in making sure that it understands intimately well what's going on, because the United States has a stake in what happens there. The players inside Israel and South Korea know that very well.”

While not as big a deal as leaks in the past, such an episode can be humiliating for the US. 

“In the espionage business, the secret of success is in keeping one's successes secret. One doesn't divulge how good one is, one doesn't reveal one's capabilities,” said Dr Blaxland. 

“So this is a little bit embarrassing from that point of view from the United States. But there is a sense that this is not that much more than what is available from very sophisticated open source intelligence reporting available that you can download from and you can check on Twitter.”

It will, however, “take a bit of a diplomatic fence-mending” with allies such as Ukraine, Israel and South Korea, he noted. “Trust is critical in this business.”

Mr Newsham added that countries do not want to appear that they cannot keep secrets. 

“And that is what the Americans unfortunately have once again shown. But this could have been a lot worse, not to say that whoever leaked it doesn't have more and better stuff,” he said. 

“You don't want (to have) revealed the internal workings of a friendly government or really any government, because it does give them some idea of how you're getting it and they can take precautionary measures.”

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2023-04-10 12:04:00Z
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Royal pardon petition for Najib is Umno's stance, not government's, says Loke - New Straits Times

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1. Royal pardon petition for Najib is Umno's stance, not government's, says Loke  New Straits Times
2. Anwar: I will be part of Pardons Board panel to decide on Najib's fate  The Straits Times
3. Muhyiddin: Umno using 'political pressure' to push for Najib's pardon  Malaysiakini
4. Commentary: Will Najib Razak's dissenting judgment ploy sway public opinion?  CNA
5. COMMENT | This is about the system, not Najib  Malaysiakini
6. View Full coverage on Google News

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2023-04-10 03:35:53Z
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China to stage Taiwan live-fire drills - CNA

LIVE-FIRE EXERCISES

Exercises on Monday will include live-fire drills off the rocky coast of China's Fujian province, about 80km south of the Matsu islands and 190km from Taipei.

The local maritime authority said the exercises would be held between 7am and 8pm (7am and 8pm, Singapore time) around Pingtan, a southeastern island that is China's nearest point to Taiwan.

"These operations serve as a stern warning against the collusion between separatist forces seeking 'Taiwan independence' and external forces and against their provocative activities," said Shi Yin, a PLA spokesman, about "Joint Sword".

AFP journalists on Pingtan did not see any immediate military activity in an offshore area on Monday.

A small number of fishing boats and small cargo ships were near the shore on Monday morning.

It was not possible to discern the identities of some more distant ships, and much of the cordoned-off area was not visible from the shoreline.

Taipei's defence ministry said it had detected 11 Chinese warships and 70 aircraft around Taiwan on Sunday.

It said 45 aircraft had crossed the median line separating Taiwan from mainland China on Saturday - the most incursions this year, according to figures maintained by AFP.

Over the weekend there were around 150 detections of Chinese ships or aircraft, including fighter jets, drones, bombers, and transport aircraft, according to the ministry.

In August last year, China deployed warships, missiles and fighter jets around Taiwan in its largest show of force in years following a trip to the island by McCarthy's predecessor, Nancy Pelosi.

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2023-04-10 01:07:00Z
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Macron says Europe must not be 'follower' of US, China on Taiwan - CNA

PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview published Sunday that Europe must not be a "follower" of either the US or China on Taiwan, saying that the bloc risks entanglement in "crises that aren't ours".

His comments risk riling Washington and highlight divisions in the European Union over how to approach China, as the US steps up confrontation with its closest rival and Beijing draws closer to Russia in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine.

"The worst thing would be to think that we Europeans must be followers and adapt ourselves to the American rhythm and a Chinese overreaction," Macron told media including French business daily Les Echos and Politico as he returned Friday from a three-day state visit to Beijing.

Citing his prized ideal of EU "strategic autonomy", the French leader said that "we must be clear where our views overlap with the US, but whether it's about Ukraine, relations to China or sanctions, we have a European strategy".

"We don't want to get into a bloc versus bloc logic," he added, saying Europe "should not be caught up in a disordering of the world and crises that aren't ours".

China views democratic, self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to take it one day, by force if necessary.

Angered by Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen's meeting last week with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Beijing launched massive military exercises around the island immediately after Macron departed for France, including simulated strikes on its territory.

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2023-04-09 15:58:00Z
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