China eyes plan to connect Southeast Asian rail links - CNA

KUALA LUMPUR: China said it was willing to study a plan to connect Malaysia's US$10-billion East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) to other China-backed railway projects in Laos and Thailand, potentially expanding Beijing's Belt and Road initiative across Southeast Asia.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who is on a three-day visit to Malaysia, said on Wednesday (Jun 19) the proposal would make the central line of a proposed Pan-Asia Railway, running from Kunming in China to Singapore, a reality.

"This will better promote the construction of new international land and sea trade corridors, enhance regional connectivity, and deepen the building of the ASEAN community," Li said.

Li was speaking during a ground-breaking ceremony at a construction site for the ECRL - a 665-km railway that will link peninsular Malaysia's east and west coasts by the end of 2026. Malaysia's government said in March it would consider extending the China-backed project to its border with Thailand.

Li is on the third leg of a trip that has included New Zealand and Australia, as China looks to expand its influence and investments in the Asia-Pacific region amid an ongoing rivalry with the United States.

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2024-06-20 03:43:00Z
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MH199's emergency landing captured in viral video - New Straits Times

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MH199's emergency landing captured in viral video  New Straits TimesView Full coverage on Google News
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2024-06-20 09:46:59Z
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Vietnam 'torn' as embattled Putin visits - Nikkei Asia

HO CHI MINH CITY -- Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Vietnam for a state visit that analysts are watching for a potential sanctions-defying arms deal and which the U.S. has slammed for allowing the leader to "promote" his war in Ukraine.

In Hanoi on Thursday, Putin is expected to discuss military, energy and trade relations rooted in the Cold War. Russia and Vietnam are both eager to show they have security alternatives to China and the U.S., several analysts told Nikkei Asia.

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2024-06-19 22:38:00Z
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Russian President Putin arrives in Vietnam for state visit - CNA

Vietnam, which officially pursues a neutral foreign policy it calls "bamboo diplomacy" in its relations with world powers, has abstained from condemning Russia's attack on Ukraine, a stance that Western countries view as too close to the Kremlin

The Southeast Asian country will be the third nation Putin has visited, after China and North Korea, since he was sworn in for a fifth term in May.

Vietnam has been gearing up for a full state welcome for Putin, his first visit since 2017 and his fifth in total.

As well as holding talks with Vietnam's top leaders, Putin will attend wreath-laying ceremonies including at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, housing the embalmed corpse of Vietnam's founding leader.

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2024-06-19 21:11:53Z
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Putin's visit to Vietnam casts spotlight on Russia's influence in Southeast Asia - CNA

US ISSUES REBUKE

Vietnam is rolling out the red carpet for Putin amid rebuke from the US government, despite having just upgraded relations with Washington last year.

In a statement sent to CNA, a spokesperson for the US Embassy in Hanoi said that no country “should give Putin a platform to promote his war of aggression and otherwise allow him to normalise his atrocities”.

“If he is able to travel freely, it could normalise Russia’s blatant violations of international law and inadvertently send the message that atrocities can be committed in Ukraine and elsewhere with impunity, worsening human suffering, and prolonging the path to sustainable peace and justice,” the spokesperson added.

“We cannot return to business as usual or turn a blind eye to the clear violations of international law Russia has committed in Ukraine. There needs to be accountability for those responsible for war crimes.”

HISTORICALLY DEEP RELATIONS WITH RUSSIA

Vietnam has continued its historically deep relations with the former Soviet Union, even as it aligns itself with the US in opposition to China.

Assistance from Russia played a critical role in Vietnam’s history of war and nation-building when peace resumed.

The US had entered Vietnam in the late 1950s to prevent a communist takeover of the region. As Vietnamese civilians became increasingly caught in the crossfire and American tactics grew more brutal, the war became deeply unpopular in the US.

Exhibits at the Vietnam Military History Museum, located in the heart of Hanoi, make it apparent Vietnam sees Russia as an ally.

Wreckage of American airplanes from the Vietnam War is placed next to Soviet-made missile systems and aircraft that Vietnam used during the war.

Nguyen Dat Phat, vice-chairman of the Vietnam-Russia Friendship Association, told CNA: “The support from the Soviet Union was great and important because then, we wanted to liberate the South and unite the country by force, by resistance war.

“We needed weapons, ammunition, gas, and so on.”

Now, Vietnam wants to show its support for Russia as well.

It avoided the Ukraine peace summit last weekend and has abstained from voting on United Nations resolutions on the Russia-Ukraine war.

“The draft resolutions are sponsored by the West to condemn Russia. I think abstention means not joining efforts to oppose Russia. That's support for Russia,” said Nguyen.

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2024-06-19 09:47:00Z
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Ulu Tiram attack: Family members of alleged cop-killer charged in court, including for inciting terrorism - CNA

The Star reported that the five were brought to the Johor Bahru Court Complex in separate vehicles amid tight security.

They arrived at around 9am, according to local media, and were escorted by nearly 30 police officers.

Radin Imran – the patriarch of the family - faces four charges, including under Section 130G (a) of the Penal Code (Act 574), for inciting terrorism by promoting the ideology of violence associated with the Islamic State (IS).

If found guilty of that, he may be jailed for up to 30 years and liable to a fine.

He was reported to have propagated IS teachings among his family members – including the alleged attacker, 21-year-old Radin Luqman – between the end of 2014 and May 17, 2024.

He was also charged with supporting terrorism by storing four homemade air rifles for IS activities, pledging loyalty to IS head Abu Bakar Al-Baghdadi and possessing a book linked to the militant group.

Abu Bakar Al-Baghdadi was an Iraqi militant who was the first caliph of IS from 2014 until his death in 2019. 

The 34-year-old Radin Romyullah was charged with two offences, including swearing allegiance to Abu Bakar Al-Baghdadi and possessing an external hard disk that contained materials related to IS and its activities.

Meanwhile, the three women were charged with one count each of deliberately omitting to provide information regarding crimes related to the ideology of terrorism.

They allegedly committed this offence at the same location between April 2017 and May 17 and face a prison sentence of up to seven years and a fine, according to The Star.

No bail was offered to the five accused and Sessions Court Judge Che Wan Zaidi Che Wan Ibrahim had advised the family to appoint a lawyer or represent themselves.

The pre-dawn attack on the Ulu Tiram police station on May 17 left two cops dead and another injured. The two - Ahmad Azza Fahmi and Muhamad Syafiq - have since been posthumously promoted to the rank of corporal while the surviving cop was promoted to Sergeant.

The families of the killed officers each also received compensation of RM216,632 (US$46,000) and RM213,586 respectively, which includes funeral assistance, the government's share of Employees Provident Fund contributions, and other benefits, according to local media.

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2024-06-19 05:57:00Z
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Malaysia, China mark 50 years of ties with deals on development, durians - CNA

KUALA LUMPUR: China and Malaysia signed a slew of deals on Wednesday (Jun 19), renewing a five-year economic co-operation pact and allowing exports of fresh durians, during a visit by Chinese Premier Li Qiang to mark 50 years of diplomatic ties.

Li met Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in the administrative capital of Putrajaya, following his arrival in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.

"China is ready to work with Malaysia," Li said in a statement, adding that focus areas included development strategies, mutually beneficial co-operation, and exchanges to promote the building of a China-Malaysia community.

After Wednesday's closed-door meeting, Li and Anwar witnessed the signing of more than a dozen pacts on co-operation in areas ranging from the digital economy to green development, housing, tourism, and communications, among others.

The new five-year pact that runs until 2028 provides for strategic collaboration in areas such as trade and investment, agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure and financial services, a statement after the meeting showed.

The five-year programme was first introduced in 2013.

China also agreed to allow imports of fresh durian from Malaysia after it meets sanitary requirements, the statement added.

Malaysia, one of the world's biggest producers of the spiky, smelly fruit, was previously allowed to ship only the whole frozen fruit and its products to China, with exports valued at RM1.19 billion (US$253 million) in 2023.

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2024-06-19 08:00:06Z
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