Indonesia court jails former trade minister for 4.5 years in sugar graft case
Thomas Trikasih Lembong served as trade minister in 2015 and 2016 under President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. Once seen as Jokowi's close aide, Lembong turned into one of the government's staunchest critics after leaving office.
Judges at the corruption court in the capital Jakarta said Lembong, as minister, was guilty of improperly granting import permits for sugar to private companies when the Southeast Asian country had a surplus of sugar.
Indonesia's sugar output in 2015 was 2.49 million metric tons, while consumption was 2.12 million.
In last year's presidential election, Lembong was the campaign manager for candidate Anies Baswedan. The election was won in a landslide by Prabowo Subianto, whom Jokowi backed.
Lembong, who was arrested days after Prabowo's inauguration last year, had claimed in court that his prosecution was due to his involvement in the opposition camp, local media reported.
Prosecutors had denied his arrest was politically motivated.
"The defendant was proven legally and convincingly to be guilty of having committed a corruption act," Judge Purwanto S. Abdullah said, to jeers from the crowd.
Before handing the sentence, the judges had argued the import permits did not go through the proper procedures of consulting with other state bodies and that he had prioritised "capitalistic" interests over social justice.
However, the judges said he did not enrich himself, leading to a shorter sentence than the seven years prosecutors had demanded. Prosecutors said Lembong had enriched the private companies.
Holding up his handcuffed hands, Lembong told reporters after the sentencing that he would consider whether or not to appeal, saying judges had ignored his defence team. His lawyer Ari Yusuf Amir did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on Friday.
($1 = 16,285.0000 rupiah)
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The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Cambodia calls for ‘immediate ceasefire' as thousands flee their homes amid border clash with Thailand
Tens of thousands of people sought refuge as border fighting between Thailand and Cambodia entered its third day Saturday, heightening fears of an extended conflict with the total death toll reaching 32. The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting behind closed doors late Friday in New York, while Malaysia, which chairs the 10-nation regional bloc that includes both countries, called for an end to hostilities and offered to mediate. The council did not issue a statement but a council diplomat said all 15 members called on the parties to deescalate, show restraint and resolve the dispute peacefully. The council also urged the regional bloc, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations known as ASEAN, to help resolve the border fighting, the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the meeting was private. Cambodia's UN Ambassador Chhea Keo told reporters afterward that his country, which called for the emergency meeting, 'asked for immediate ceasefires, unconditionally, and we also call for the peaceful solution to the dispute'. He responded to accusations that Cambodia attacked Thailand asking how a small country with no air force could attack a much larger country with an army three times its size, stressing, 'We do not do that.' UN Security Council urges restraint by both sides Mr Keo said the Security Council called for both sides to exercise 'maximum restraint and resort to diplomatic solution' which is what Cambodia is calling for as well. Asked what he expects next, the ambassador said: 'Let's see how the call can be heard by all the members there.' Thailand's UN ambassador left the meeting without stopping to talk to reporters. The Thai Health Ministry on Friday said more than 58,000 have fled from villages to temporary shelters in four affected border provinces, while Cambodian authorities said more than 23,000 people have evacuated from areas near the border. The latest flare-up in a long-running border dispute between the two countries has killed at least 19 people in Thailand – mostly civilians – while Cambodia said Saturday that 12 people more people have killed on its side, bringing its death toll to 13. Thailand's acting prime minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, said Friday that Cambodia may be guilty of war crimes due to the deaths of civilians and damage caused to a hospital. He said Thailand had exercised the 'utmost restraint and patience in the face of provocations and aggression' from Cambodia. Tensions over a disputed border area erupted into fighting after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers on Wednesday. Clashes break out across border areas The Thai military reported clashes early Friday in multiple areas along the border, including near the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple claimed by both sides. Associated Press reporters near the border could hear sounds of artillery from early morning hours. The Thai Army said Cambodian forces had used heavy artillery and Russian-made BM-21 rocket launchers, prompting what Thai officials described as 'appropriate supporting fire' in return. Thailand said six of its soldiers and 13 civilians were killed while 29 soldiers and 30 civilians were wounded. Early Saturday, Cambodian Gen Maly Socheata, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, told reporters Saturday that seven more civilians and five soldiers have died from two days of fighting. It earlier reported one fatality — a man who was killed when the pagoda he was hiding in got hit by Thai rockets. The Cambodian Education Ministry claimed that on Friday two Thai rockets had hit a school compound in Oddar Meanchey but caused no injuries. It said all schools in the province have been closed. The Thai Army denied it targeted civilian sites in Cambodia, and accused Cambodia of using 'human shields' by positioning their weapons near residential areas. Thousands flee villages near the border As the fighting intensified, villagers on both sides have been caught in the crossfire, leading many to flee. Around 600 people took shelter at a gymnasium in a university in Surin, Thailand, about 80km (50 miles) from the border. Evacuees sat in groups, on mats and blankets, and queued for food and drinks. Seamstress Pornpan Sooksai was accompanied by four cats in two fabric carriers. She said she was doing laundry at her home near Ta Muen Thom temple when shelling began Thursday. 'I just heard, boom, boom. We already prepared the cages, clothes and everything, so we ran and carried our things to the car. I was frightened, scared,' she recalled. Rattana Meeying, another evacuee, said she had also lived through the 2011 clashes between the two countries but described this flare-up as worse. 'Children, old people, were hit out of the blue,' she said. 'I never imagined it would be this violent.' At the nearby Phanom Dong Rak hospital, periodic explosions could be heard Friday, and a military truck arrived with three injured Thai soldiers, including one who had both legs severed. Thursday's shelling shattered windows at one of the hospital's buildings and damaged its roof. In the neighbouring Sisaket province, more villagers took their belongings and left homes in a stream of cars, trucks and motorbikes after they received an evacuation order on Friday. Across the border in Cambodia, villages on the outskirts of Oddar Meanchey province were largely deserted. Homes stood locked, while chickens and dogs roamed outside. Some villagers earlier dug holes to create makeshift underground bunkers, covering them with wood, tarpaulin and zinc sheets to shield themselves from shelling. Families with children were seen packing their belongings on home-made tractors to evacuate, though a few men refused to leave. Veng Chin, 74, pleaded with both governments to negotiate a settlement 'so that I can return to my home and work on the farm'. Asean chair calls for calm The conflict marks a rare instance of armed confrontation between ASEAN member countries though Thailand has tangled with Cambodia before over the border and has had sporadic skirmishes with western neighbor Myanmar. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Friday that Thailand and Cambodia had agreed to a ceasefire and to withdraw their troops from the border, but requested more time before implementing the action, according to a report by Malaysia's Bernama national news agency. Anwar said he had spoken to both Cambodian leader Hun Manet and Thailand's Phumtham and urged them to open space for 'peaceful dialogue and diplomatic resolution,' while offering to have Malaysia facilitate talks. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also called for restraint and urged both countries to resolve disputes through dialogue, according to UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq. It's the latest flareup in longstanding border tensions The 800km (500mile) frontier between Thailand and Cambodia has been disputed for decades, but past confrontations have been limited and brief. The last major flare-up in 2011 left 20 dead. The current tensions broke out in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thailand's domestic politics. Things got worse when a land mine wounded five Thai soldiers on Wednesday, leading Bangkok to close the border and expel the Cambodian ambassador. The next day, clashes broke out along the border.
BBC News
6 hours ago
- BBC News
Thailand-Cambodia: Social media war flares up amid border clashes
As the border clashes this week killed more than a dozen people in Thailand and at least one in Cambodia, regional governments have been trying to prevent a war between the two a different kind of war between their citizens is already raging - via increasingly belligerent exchanges on social media. Nationalists from both sides have long bickered over several points of national pride - from ownership of temples and territories to the origins of traditional dances, costumes, food and rising tensions in recent weeks, which culminated in the deadly attacks on Thursday, have now prompted young people on both sides to trade fresh barbs online. The comment sections of social media posts about the conflict have turned into an online warzone, with Thai and Cambodian users arguing with each other and backing their governments official version of events. "Justice for Cambodia," one Cambodian user commented on a TikTok video of a user trying to explain the conflict. "Thai troops opened fire on Cambodian forces first.""[Who's] gonna trust [what] the largest scammer country said?" a Thai user replied, making a reference to the widespread scam centres in Cambodia that have entrapped hundreds of thousands. "Cambodia fired at Thailand first. This is the truth. Join in using the hashtag #CambodiaOpenedFire" a Thai X user wrote, in a post that has been viewed a million times. Cambodians, meanwhile, are using the hashtag "Thailand opened fire" and making their own videos about the conflict. Border tensions between the two countries have been simmering since May, after a brief skirmish killed one Cambodian soldier. Both countries imposed travel restrictions on each other and strengthened military presence along the bilateral ties plunged to their lowest levels in a decade, some voiced concerns about hate-mongering on social media that threatened to divide the two countries' people even and Thai journalists' associations issued a joint statement in May, saying that social media users have "circulated information without clear sources" and "caused confusion".The groups urged social media users to "carefully consider the potential consequences" when sharing content related to the things heat up, a few have taken the belligerence offline too. A viral video posted on Thursday showed what appeared to be a Thai man asking Cambodian workers to speak Khmer - before slapping them in the face. "We're now beginning to see violence, even among the groups with no prior conflict between them," Wilaiwan Jongwilaikasaem, a journalism professor at Thammasat University, told BBC Thai, describing the nationalistic influencers as waging a "war of hate". Long cultural rivalry There are plenty of sensitive touchpoints for social media warriors from both countries to battle over. The dispute between the two countries dates back to more than 100 years ago, when the borders of the two nations were drawn after the French occupation of Cambodia. In 2008, Cambodia registered Preah Vihear, an 11th Century temple located near the disputed border as a Unesco World Heritage Site - a move that was met with heated protest from dispute later expanded to the 13th Century Ta Moan temple complex - which Cambodia claimed Thai troops had lined with barbed wire on historical sites are at the heart of a longstanding cultural rivalry between the two countries, which also extends to the realms of sports, cuisine and nationalists decry what they say is cultural theft by "Claimbodia", while their Khmer counterparts have dubbed them "Siamese thieves". In 2023, Thai kickboxers boycotted the Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia after the sporting event they recognised as Muay Thai was introduced as Kun Khmer - which is what Cambodians call this month, controversy ensued after Cambodia nominated its Khmer wedding tradition for inscription on Unesco's list of intangible cultural heritage. Thai social media users claimed that a Thai traditional dress was in the submission - igniting anger and allegations of cultural appropriation, as Thailand was also seeking consideration for its traditional attire to be recognised by recently, Thai tourists attacked Cambodian military officers at Ta Muen Thom, a temple in a disputed area along Thai-Cambodian border. Politicians' war on X The aggression is unlikely to wane, especially since the political kingmakers on both sides - who are avid social media users themselves - are hurling jabs at each other too. In a post on X, Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand's populist former prime minister, said he appreciated the offers he had received to help mediate the hostilities. "But I asked for some time because I have to let the Thai military teach Hun Sen a lesson for his cunningness," he Sen, a strongman ex-leader who remains influential in Cambodian politics, retorted on his X account. "I am not surprised by Thaksin's attitude toward me, because he has even betrayed the Thai King, as well as members of his own party," he wrote on Friday. "Now, under the pretext of taking revenge on Hun Sen, he is resorting to war, the ultimate consequence of which will be the suffering of the people."This particular escalation of events was, in fact, caused by the unexpected fracturing of a long-standing friendship between Hun Sen and Thaksin Shinawatra. Hun Sen leaked a phone call between him and Thaksin's daughter, Paetongtarn conversation, where Paetongtarn - then prime minister - called him "uncle", and criticised one of her own military commanders, was hugely embarrassing for her and sparked massive public anger. She has since been suspended as prime minister and Thailand's Constitutional Court is considering a petition for her Thais believe that the leaking of the phone call was an attempt by Hun Sen to distract his people. "Hun wants dispute and war, he wants to solidify his and his son's future position in (Cambodia) and he needs to have bigger enemy which is why he push for anti-Thai narrative and war," said one Thai social media user in response to a Cambodian's post which said "there is no reason for smaller country with weaker economic (sic) like Cambodia to invade Thailand first".Even if the border conflict stops short of being a full-fledged war, the battles on the social media look set to continue. Additional reporting by Paweena Ninbut
BBC News
8 hours ago
- BBC News
Cambodia calls for immediate ceasefire with Thailand
Cambodia has called for an "immediate" ceasefire with Thailand, after two days of cross-border fighting between the two South East Asian ambassador to the UN, Chhea Keo, said his country asked for a truce "unconditionally", adding that Phnom Penh also wanted a "peaceful solution of the dispute".Thailand has not publicly commented on the ceasefire proposal. It earlier declared martial law in eight districts bordering least 16 people have been killed and tens of thousands displaced in both countries, who accuse each other of firing the first shots on Thursday. Thailand's acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai on Friday warned that the clashes could "move towards war".He said the fighting now included heavy weapons and had spread to 12 locations along the also accused Cambodia of firing into civilian areas and evacuated all villages deemed to be within the radius of its for its part, accused Thailand of using cluster munitions. Cluster munitions are banned in much of the world because of their indiscriminate effect on civilian populations. Thailand has not responded to the Thailand's foreign minister told the Reuters news agency there was "no need" for third-party mediation in the conflict, even as global leaders appealed for an immediate Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who chairs the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean), had earlier offered to facilitate talks between the two US also called for an "immediate cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians and a peaceful resolution of the conflict". Thailand says 14 civilians and one soldier have been killed in the country's Surin, Ubon Ratchathani and Srisaket provinces, while provincial authorities in Cambodia say at least one civilian was says the clashes began with Cambodia's military deploying drones to conduct surveillance of Thai troops near the says Thai soldiers initiated the conflict when they violated a prior agreement by advancing on a Khmer-Hindu temple near the dispute between the two countries dates back to more than 100 years ago, when the borders of the two nations were drawn after the French occupation of have been sporadic clashes over the years which saw soldiers and civilians killed on both latest tensions ramped up in May after a Cambodian soldier was killed in a clash, plunging bilateral ties to their lowest point in more than a decade.
