
Malaysia Looks Into Claim 1MDB Fugitive Jho Low Is in China
The country has not received information on the whereabouts of Low, better known as Jho Low, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Saturday, state news agency Bernama reported. Anwar said he would need to check with the home ministry, which didn't respond to calls early Monday.
Bradley Hope and Tom Wright, whose book Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World chronicled Low's role in the rise and fall of 1MDB, said in a recent YouTube video that he has been residing in Green Hills, an upscale neighborhood in Shanghai. The two former Wall Street Journal reporters said Low was using a forged Australian passport under the name Constantinos Achilles Veis.
A spokesperson from Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said its passport office specialist investigators and intelligence offices assess every allegation of fraudulent use of the nation's passports. The use of a false Australian passport can lead to a maximum 10 years' imprisonment or a fine, or both, it added.
In the wake of the two reporters' claims, Puad Zarkashi, a senior member of the ruling coalition's United Malays National Organisation, called on authorities to bring back the fugitive financier, Malaysiakini reported.
Malaysia has been working for years to repatriate Low, who was first charged in absentia in 2018 by a local court with eight counts of money laundering. He was previously reported as having been in hiding in the Chinese special administrative region of Macau, and has publicly said he is innocent.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has also accused Low of stealing $1.42 billion from three bond transactions that Goldman Sachs Group Inc. arranged for the Malaysian wealth fund, formally known as 1Malaysia Development Bhd.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is in prison in connection with 1MDB, while ex-Goldman banker Tim Leissner was also sentenced to prison for his role.
Some $4.5 billion was misappropriated from 1MDB. Low, who previously said he did consulting work for the fund, has been portrayed by some global investigators as the mastermind behind the scheme.
With assistance from Ainslie Chandler.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
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Business Standard
8 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Thailand warns of war with neighboring Cambodia as US, China urge calm
By Patpicha Tanakasempipat and Suttinee Yuvejwattana Thailand warned its conflict with neighboring Cambodia could 'potentially develop into a war' as troops used rockets and artillery to shell targets along their contested border for a second day. Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai told reporters Friday that the severity of the clashes was escalating, endangering civilians, and Thailand was committed to defending its territory and sovereignty. 'This situation could potentially develop into a war,' Phumtham said. 'At present, it is still considered an armed clash involving heavy weaponry.' Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said his country was ready for a ceasefire but accused Bangkok of backing out of a deal brokered by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, as the current chair of regional group Asean. The truce had been set for early Friday, he said. Thailand's government has put the latest death toll from the worst clashes in more than a decade at 14, including a soldier, with more than three dozen people injured. One Cambodian civilian was killed and five others injured in the clashes, Agence France-Presse reported, citing a provincial administration official. Thailand also said it has evacuated more than 130,000 civilians from conflict zones. Cambodia has closed 260 schools in the province of Oddar Meanchey, the center of the conflict, the Khmer Times reported. Thai financial markets were mixed amid the violence. The baht fell 0.4 per cent to 32.39 per dollar, in line with regional peers, while the benchmark stock index rose 0.4 per cent to cap a fifth straight weekly advance. While the US, China, and Malaysia have reached out to both parties, no country has publicly emerged yet as a mediator. Officials in Bangkok are intent on resolving the hostilities bilaterally, foreign ministry officials said Friday. 'We do appreciate their kind offers and do not rule them all out,' Russ Jalichandra, vice minister for foreign affairs, told Bloomberg News, adding that China, US and Malaysia had offered to help. 'But at the moment we still want to solve the problems bilaterally through negotiations, and existing bilateral mechanisms that both sides agreed upon,' he said, citing a memorandum signed in 2000. Thailand will not be the first to call off military action, Russ said, adding that a ceasefire offer can be considered only if Cambodia ends hostilities. On Friday, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said Beijing is willing to play a constructive role in easing military conflict and supports efforts by Asean to encourage dialog and a political settlement. In a meeting with Asean Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn in Beijing, Wang also blamed the border clash on 'legacy of western colonizers.' The US has engaged both sides, according to a person familiar, who asked not to be identified discussing private conversations. The embassy in Bangkok said in a statement that 'we have consistently encouraged Thailand and Cambodia to resolve their differences peacefully in a manner that respects diplomatic obligations and norms.' Thailand, a long-time Washington treaty ally, developed closer diplomatic relations with China during almost a decade of military-backed rule under previous Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha. The US, meanwhile, is the Southeast Asian nation's largest exports destination, accounting for about 18 per cent of all Thai shipments and creating a trade surplus of $46 billion last year. But amid President Donald Trump's tariff war, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia are among Asian countries seeing the sharpest surge in Chinese imports as the higher duties upend regional trade, according to Citigroup Inc. China is Thailand's largest trading partner with bilateral business estimated at $129 billion last year, according to the US Census Bureau. Beijing shipped goods worth $81 billion to Thailand. Trading Accusations Thailand and Cambodia have claimed they are operating only in self-defense, and the United Nations Security Council is scheduled to discuss the issue Friday in New York. The Thai army said Cambodian forces 'conducted sustained bombardment' using heavy weapons, field artillery and rockets through Friday morning, and that it responded appropriately and advised civilians to avoid the conflict zones. Cambodia's defense ministry confirmed shelling overnight and claimed to control the site of two disputed temples and another area, according to the Khmer Times. It separately reported 40 workers are trapped at Preah Vihear temple, one of the points of conflict. The clashes on Thursday included Thai airstrikes on Cambodian military bases using F-16 fighter jets, while Bangkok accused Phnom Penh's forces of attacking civilian areas in Thailand. That followed a months-long border standoff that also pushed Thailand's ruling coalition to the brink of collapse. The neighbors share a long history of border tensions, though relations have remained largely stable since a deadly 2011 conflict that left dozens dead. The last major flare-up centered on the Preah Vihear temple, a longstanding flashpoint dating back to the French colonial era. Much of the current dispute stems from maps drawn on differing interpretations of early 20th-century Franco-Siamese treaties, which defined the border between Thailand and Cambodia, then part of French Indochina. Economic Impact A prolonged military conflict would add to multiple economic challenges for both nations, including the US threat to impose stiff tariffs. Unlike neighboring Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam — which have secured trade agreements with the Trump administration — export-reliant Thailand has yet to reach a deal. Given the risks to Thailand's local economy and tourism, a vital contributor to the economy, Bangkok may have more reasons to end the conflict as soon as possible, said Trinh Nguyen, Natixis senior economist for emerging Asia. 'We expect de-escalation to take place after aggressive actions,' Trinh said. 'External risks are rising and Thailand cannot afford to derail already weak tourism and soft growth.' Cambodia's economic growth was already expected to slow, according to a July 17 report by Maybank Securities Pte., which noted the country's dependence on the US is the highest in Asean, at 38 per cent of nominal exports or 21 per cent of GDP. The country also has more than half a million workers in Thailand, according to official estimates, though Maybank said undocumented migrants could push that number closer to 1.2 million people. Officials in Thailand's Chanthaburi and Trat provinces said some 2,000 Cambodian migrant workers have gathered at a checkpoint to return home. Thai exports to Cambodia totaled $5.1 billion in the first half of 2025, including jewelry, oil and sugar, with $732 million of imports, mostly fruit and vegetables, according to the Thai Commerce Ministry. With Thailand signaling no immediate plan to cease the military actions, a drawn-out conflict poses fresh challenges to leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who had already been suspended as prime minister for her handling of the border dispute. Her Pheu Thai-led coalition has been on the brink after the defection of a key party last month left it with a slender majority. Thai nationalist groups, who had initially planned an anti-government rally for Sunday, have pushed it back to Aug. 2. Posts supporting the Thai army and air force are trending on X and Facebook in Thailand. --With assistance from Katia Dmitrieva, Claire Jiao, Pathom Sangwongwanich and Lee Miller.


News18
an hour ago
- News18
Important cases heard by Supreme Court on July 25
Important cases heard by the Supreme Court on Friday, Jul 25: * Outlining the rise in suicides and mental health issues among students in educational institutions, SC issued pan-India guidelines to combat the problem. * SC extended the stay on the criminal proceedings against senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a criminal case lodged in Uttar Pradesh for his comments against Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 2022. * SC directed the Delhi HC to hear on July 28 the pleas challenging the Centre's nod to release 'Udaipur Files – Kanhaiya Lal Tailor Murder". * SC dismissed a plea for conducting delimitation exercise in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for increasing the assembly seats in both the states. * SC allowed the Kerala government to withdraw its pleas against Governor over the delay in approving bills passed by the state assembly. * SC rapped a Kerala-based journalist for allegedly publishing a defamatory video against a prominent woman politician on his YouTube channel 'Crime Online". * SC said the rehabilitation of homeless persons suffering from psychosocial disabilities was a sensitive issue and directed the Centre to take it up 'very seriously". * SC sought responses from the Uttarakhand government and its public services commission on a plea challenging exclusion of persons with blindness and locomotor disability from taking up judicial services examination. * SC said it was worried whether deer from Deer Park in Delhi's Hauz Khas were tranquillised before being transported to Rajasthan. PTI ABA HIG view comments First Published: July 25, 2025, 19:30 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Thailand declares martial law in 8 districts along Cambodia border
As the two nations continued to exchange heavy artillery fire on Friday, Thailand declared martial law in eight districts bordering Cambodia. Thailand's acting prime minister Phumtham Wechayachai said that Bangkok was committed to defending its territory and sovereignty.(Reuters) Commander of the military's Border Defense Command in the provinces of Chanthaburi and Trat, Apichart Sapprasert, said in a statement, "martial law is now in effect" in seven districts of Chanthaburi and one district of Trat. The military border commander said that the decision was taken due to "Cambodia's use of force" to enter Thai territory. The development comes just hours after Thai officials said that the country favours bilateral negotiations rather than third-party mediation to resolve the border dispute with Cambodia. However, Thailand warned Cambodia that its conflict could "potentially develop into a war", with acting prime minister Phumtham Wechayachai saying that Bangkok was committed to defending its territory and sovereignty. "We have tried to compromise as we are neighbours, but we have now instructed the Thai military to act immediately in case of urgency," said Phumtham. 'This situation could potentially develop into a war,' Phumtham said, adding that, 'At present, it is still considered an armed clash involving heavy weaponry.' Cambodia prime minister Hun Manet said that his country was ready for a ceasefire but accused Thailand of stepping out of a deal brokered by Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim. The truce was set to come into effect early on Friday. According to Thailand's health ministry, at least 15 people have lost their lives in one of the worst Thai-Cambodian clashes in more than a decade, with over three dozen people injured. Meanwhile, more than 1,30,000 civilians have been evacuated from conflict zones in Thailand. Cambodia has also 260 schools in the province of Oddar Meanchey, which is the center of the conflict, local media reported. The United Nations Security Council is also set to hold an emergency meeting on the crisis later on Friday. US, China, Malaysia offer to mediate The US, China and Malaysia have offered to mediate to de-escalate the growing tensions between Thailand and Cambodia. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, earlier in the day, said Beijing is willing to play a constructive role in easing military conflict. Yi also blamed the border clash on the "legacy of western colonisers". ALSO READ | US issues travel advisory for citizens amid Thailand-Cambodia border dispute According to a Bloomberg report, the US has also engaged both sides to resolve the conflict. The US embassy in Bangkok said in a statement that they "have consistently encouraged Thailand and Cambodia to resolve their differences peacefully in a manner that respects diplomatic obligations and norms.' However, Thailand has reiterated that it would prefer resolving the matter through bilateral negotiations. 'We do appreciate their kind offers and do not rule them all out,' Russ Jalichandra, vice minister for foreign affairs, told Bloomberg News. He added, "'But at the moment we still want to solve the problems bilaterally through negotiations, and existing bilateral mechanisms that both sides agreed upon."