DAP amid a Chinese storm
The first concerned a trio of Chinese social media influencers who took the bones from some fried chicken that they had consumed, wrapped them with some rice to give to a homeless man in what they claimed to be an act of "charity".
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The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Chinese diplomat Liu Jianchao taken in for questioning, WSJ reports
(Reuters) -Liu Jianchao, a senior Chinese diplomat widely seen as a potential foreign minister, has been taken away by authorities for questioning, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. Liu was taken away after returning to Beijing in late July from a work trip overseas, WSJ reported, citing the people familiar with the matter. (Reporting by Chandni Shah in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Vietnamese police bust cross-border surrogacy ring, rescue 11 infants
The Criminal Police Department successfully rescues 11 infants from a cross-border surrogacy ring. - via Vietnam News/ANN HANOI: Vietnamese police have smashed a major cross-border surrogacy ring led by a Chinese national, rescuing eleven infants and arresting multiple suspects in a coordinated operation across several provinces. The Ministry of Public Security's Criminal Police Department said on Aug 8 that the gang, headed by a man known only as Wang, was a highly organised criminal network using social media, secure communications and fake identities to evade detection. The case came to light when Division 5 of the Criminal Police detected suspicious activity on social media involving commercial surrogacy with links to other countries. Investigators later confirmed that financially vulnerable Vietnamese women were being recruited as surrogates, with some taken to China or Cambodia for embryo transfers before returning to Vietnam for the remainder of their pregnancy. Following orders from Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Long, Deputy Minister and head of the Investigation Police Agency, officers launched a series of raids on July 15. Suspects taken in for questioning included Quach Thi Thuong, 39, from Lam Dong; Pham Thi Hoai Thu, 38; Phung Thi Nuong, 29; and Nguyen Thi Hang, 29, from Hanoi; Nguyen Thi Thu Trang, 33, from Ninh Binh; and Lo Thi Thanh, 29, from Son La, along with other related individuals. Eleven babies, aged between nine days and three months, were rescued. Investigations revealed that Thuong, using the Zalo account 'Coca', later renamed 'Pepsi', was recruited by Wang in late 2021 to find women under 35 in good health to act as surrogates. She also hired caregivers to look after newborns and arrange birth registration, DNA tests, paternity certificates and travel documents. Thu, a former surrogate herself, handled hospital admissions and discharges for surrogates. Thuong was paid monthly wages by Wang with US$1,000 and Thu received US$500 per month. Each surrogate received about VND300-400 million (US$11,439-15,253) per pregnancy. Police said Thuong arranged about 60 surrogacies, earning VND575 million, while Thu handled about 40 cases, earning VND345 million. Some former surrogates, still struggling financially, were rehired as nannies for other surrogates' babies, paid up to VND750,000 per day. To avoid detection, members of the ring lived in luxury apartments with high security and frequently changed addresses. Through investigations, police also detained three Chinese nationals who had entered Vietnam in May to collect a baby, allegedly on the orders of another Chinese suspect. Police have charged Thuong, Thu, Nuong, Hang, Trang, Thanh and Vo Thi Lan with organising surrogacy for commercial purposes. The rescued infants are now in the care of an organisation run by the Vietnam Women's Union's Centre for Women and Development. Authorities are working with the Ministry of Health's Department for Maternal and Child Health and the Vietnam Children's Protection Fund to ensure the babies' safety while the investigation continues. - Vietnam News/ANN
The Star
7 hours ago
- The Star
New info on MBI emerges
Cops to quiz several Penang-based companies again GEORGE TOWN: Just when many thought the ghost of Mobility Beyond Imagination (MBI) had been laid to rest, news about the ponzi scheme has resurfaced. Sources said the Bukit Aman Anti-Money Laundering division is ready to pay another round of visits to several Penang-based companies previously associated with MBI. It is understood that police have obtained fresh intelligence from their Chinese counterparts and several suspects arrested via Ops Northern Star in April and May. 'The mastermind, Tedy Teow, had formed a business pyramid comprising proxies to handle his investments worth billions, including lands, properties and luxury items,' the source claimed. 'With him (Teow) as the captain of the ship, family members and close friends were positioned at the top of the MBI chart. 'The main task of his lieutenants was to ensure all the major property projects in Malaysia and Thailand run smoothly without any hitches.' MBI founder Teow, who is now in custody in China, launched his MBI empire back in 2009. 'His modus operandi was to introduce the Hawala system to investors to transfer money internationally,' the source added. Hawala is an informal method of transferring money without any physical money actually moving. Once the money had been bankrolled into several MBI accounts, it is understood that lawyers would do the screening and documentation before giving the nod for partial payments to keep investors happy. To lure more rich investors, free holidays were offered to destinations like Italy and Dubai. All it took for investors was to top up their investments by up to RM100,000. Teow had crafted the MBI's image as a legitimate conglomerate with interests in property, including high-end residential and retail spaces across Malaysia and in Danok, Thailand. 'They were very professional with many teams of agents to manage investors' accounts. 'They operated from rented offices, owned restaurant chains and travelled in multiple luxury cars,' another source claimed. One mega project now under scrutiny is the proposed development on reclaimed land near Pulau Jerejak located off the coast of Penang island. Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow recently said the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) surrendered documents, which included minutes of meetings and financial records related to the Penang World City (PWC) project, to the Bukit Aman special task force on July 18. 'The documents concerned payments made to PDC for the purchase of land by Mutiara Metropolis Sdn Bhd (MMSB), formerly known as Tropicana Ivory Sdn Bhd. 'The focus of the investigation, as conveyed to PDC, is to examine whether any of the funds paid to PDC by MMSB between 2011 and 2019 may have been linked to the MBI scam,' Chow told a press conference in Komtar last month. Teow's elder brother, Wooi Pin, and his brother-in-law, Tan Kim Hee, were believed to be among the partners in the mega development project first launched in 2011. It was reported that police had detained Tan on April 2 to assist with the MBI probe. He was released five days later, but his company's bank accounts totalling some RM10mil were frozen. In addition, police seized two luxury vehicles – a Mercedes-Benz GLE 450 Coupe and a BMW 330Li. So far, police have detained 17 suspects, including several high-profile real estate magnates from Penang. Besides Malaysians, some two million Chinese nationals, mostly from the Chongqing province, had reportedly lost over 55bil yuan (RM32.4bil) in the MBI scheme. In their desperate bid to recover their investments, some of the investors even flew to Malaysia to search for Teow in 2019. Through Interpol, the Chinese police then issued a red notice on Nov 9, 2020, to seek the arrest of Teow. With the authorities hot on his heels, he then fled to Thailand but was later arrested in July 2022. In August 2024, Teow became the first wanted person to be extradited from Thailand to China in 25 years, according to Chinese media reports. Teow, who also went by the name Zhang Yufa, was extradited under operation 'Fox Hunt', a codename for the sweeping campaign by China's police to bring back financial criminals. Now in custody in China, Teow faces life imprisonment if convicted of fraud under the Anti-Money Laundering Law.
