'No space for racists, Islamophobes': Malaysians protest against Trump's US envoy pick
Trump nominated right-wing commentator Nick Adams, known for his outspoken views and strong pro-Israel stance, as ambassador to multicultural, Muslim-majority Malaysia a week ago.
Protesters chanted "Reject Nick Adams" and "Destroy America" and held up posters depicting Adams with a red cross over his face.
Other placards read: "No space for racists and Islamophobes in Malaysia."
The marchers, organised by the youth wings of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope) coalition, submitted a memorandum to the embassy near the centre of Kuala Lumpur.
They urged the US government to withdraw Adams's nomination and "consider a candidate who is more professional, moderate, and attuned to the importance of Southeast Asia's regional stability."
Around 90 police officers watched the peaceful demonstration and redirected traffic.
Adams, 40, was born in Australia and is a naturalised US citizen.
"Single. Alpha Male. Wildly Successful. Built like a Greek God. President Trump's favourite author," he had described himself on X.
Adams has also said on X that "if you stand with Palestine you stand with radical Islamic terrorists and Jew hatred."
Malaysia has no diplomatic ties with Israel and has repeatedly condemned its actions in Gaza and elsewhere.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
13 minutes ago
- First Post
‘They want to settle now': Trump links trade deals to peace as Thailand, Cambodia agree to talks
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he believed both Thailand and Cambodia wanted to settle their differences after he told the leaders of both countries that he would not conclude trade deals with them unless they ended their fighting. read more US President Donald Trump said Sunday he believed Thailand and Cambodia were ready to resolve their conflict following his warning that trade agreements with Washington would be on hold unless the fighting stopped. Speaking to reporters in Turnberry, Scotland before a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Trump said, 'I spoke to both of the prime ministers, and I think by the time I got off, I think they want to settle now.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump added that he expected officials from both countries to engage in talks in the coming days. The current wave of violence began Thursday following a land mine blast that injured five Thai soldiers. Each side has accused the other of sparking the conflict. Ambassadors have been recalled, and Thailand has shut its border crossings with Cambodia. Despite growing calls for de-escalation, active fighting continued on Sunday in multiple parts of the contested region. Thailand reported one more soldier killed on Sunday, raising its death toll to 21, most of them civilians. Cambodia said it has lost 13 lives. Over 131,000 people have been displaced within Thailand, while more than 37,000 Cambodians have fled homes in three border provinces. Many border villages now lie abandoned, with schools and hospitals closed. The UN Security Council has urged ASEAN to mediate an end to the crisis, while Human Rights Watch condemned reports of cluster munitions—prohibited under international law—being used in populated zones. The group called on both governments to prioritise civilian protection. Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia over their 800-kilometre border have simmered for decades. While past flare-ups have generally been brief, the current escalation follows a deadly confrontation in May that led to the death of a Cambodian soldier and further strained diplomatic relations. With inputs from agencies
The Hindu
13 minutes ago
- The Hindu
UN to use 'humanitarian pauses' to try to reach Gaza's starving
The United Nations said it would try to reach as many starving people as possible in Gaza after Israel announced it would establish secure land routes in for humanitarian convoys. The UN's World Food Programme (WFP) said it had enough food in, or on its way to, the region to feed the 2.1 million people in the Gaza Strip for almost three months. UN emergency relief coordinator Tom Fletcher said on X he welcomed the announcement of "humanitarian pauses". "In contact with our teams on the ground who will do all we can to reach as many starving people as we can in this window," he said. WFP said the pauses and corridors should allow emergency food to be safely delivered. "Food aid is the only real way for most people inside Gaza to eat," it said in a statement. It said a third of the population had not been eating for days, and 470,000 people in Gaza "are enduring famine-like conditions" that were leading to deaths. WFP said more than 62,000 tonnes of food assistance was needed monthly to cover the entire Gaza population of two million. The agency noted that, on top of Sunday's "pause" announcement, Israel had pledged to allow more trucks to enter Gaza with quicker clearances along with "assurances of no armed forces or shootings near convoys". "Together, we hope these measures will allow for a surge in urgently needed food assistance to reach hungry people without further delays," it said. 'Dystopian landscape' UN rights chief Volker Turk said Israel, as the occupying power in Gaza, was obliged to ensure sufficient food was provided to the population. "Children are starving and dying in front of our eyes. Gaza is a dystopian landscape of deadly attacks and total destruction," he said in a statement. He criticised a U.S. and Israel-backed outfit, called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), that in late May began distributing foodstuffs when UN-organised efforts were blocked. Mr. Turk said the GHF's "chaotic, militarised distribution sites were "failing utterly to deliver humanitarian aid at the scope and scale needed". His office says Israeli forces have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to get food aid in Gaza since the GHF started operations -- nearly three-quarters of them in the vicinity of GHF sites. 'Starvation crisis' "The starvation of people in Gaza must end now," UN refugees chief Filippo Grandi said on X. "Standing with UN and NGO colleagues ready to deliver desperately-needed, lifesaving aid to hundreds of thousands at risk of death." Fletcher's UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned on Friday that conditions on the ground in Gaza were "already catastrophic" and deteriorating. "The starvation crisis is deepening," it said. OCHA said UN teams were in place to ramp up deliveries into the Palestinian territory as soon as they were permitted to do so. "If Israel opens the crossings, lets fuel and equipment in, and allows humanitarian staff to operate safely, the UN will accelerate the delivery of food aid, health services, clean water and waste management, nutrition supplies, and shelter materials," it said.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
13 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Thai, Cambodian leaders to meet in Malaysia for talks to end dispute
Thai and Cambodian leaders will meet in Malaysia for talks to end hostilities, a spokesperson for the Thai prime minister's office said on Sunday. This comes following pressure from US President Donald Trump to end a deadly border dispute, now in its fourth day, which has killed at least 34 people and displaced more than 168,000. Jirayu Huangsap said Acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai will attend Monday's talks in response to an invitation from Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to discuss peace efforts in the region. The spokesperson also said Phumtham's Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet will also attend the talks, though this was not immediately confirmed by the Cambodian side. He added that Anwar was acting in his capacity as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, held on an annual rotating basis by its 10 members. Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday that he spoke to the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia and suggested he would not move forward with trade agreements with either country if the hostilities continued. He later said both sides agreed to meet to negotiate a ceasefire. Both sides agree to discuss a ceasefire Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said earlier Sunday his country agreed to pursue an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. He said Trump told him that Thailand had also agreed to halt attacks following the US president's conversation with Phumtham. He said he tasked his deputy, Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, to coordinate next steps with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and to engage directly with Thailand's foreign minister to implement the ceasefire. Thailand expressed cautious support. Phumtham thanked Trump and said that Thailand agreed in principle to a ceasefire but stressed the need for sincere intention from Cambodia, the Thai Foreign Ministry said. Phumtham called for swift bilateral talks to discuss concrete steps toward a peaceful resolution, it said. Both sides blame the other for the clashes The fighting flared Thursday after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers. Both sides blamed each other for starting the clashes. Both countries recalled their ambassadors and Thailand closed its border crossings with Cambodia. Despite the diplomatic efforts, fighting continued Sunday along parts of the contested border, with both sides refusing to budge and trading blame over renewed shelling and troop movements. Col. Richa Suksowanont, a Thai army deputy spokesperson, said Cambodian forces fired heavy artillery into Surin province, including at civilian homes, early Sunday. He said Cambodia also launched rocket attacks targeting the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple, claimed by both countries, and other areas in a bid to reclaim territory secured by Thai troops. Thai forces responded with long-range artillery to strike Cambodian artillery and rocket launchers. Richa said Trump's efforts to mediate were a separate matter. The battlefield operations will continue and a ceasefire can only happen if Cambodia formally initiates negotiations, he added. Any cessation of hostilities cannot be reached while Cambodia is severely lacking in good faith and repeatedly violating the basic principles of human rights and humanitarian law," Thailand's Foreign Ministry said separately. Cambodian Defence Ministry spokesperson Lt. Gen. Maly Socheata accused Thai forces of escalating the violence with bombardment of Cambodian territory early Sunday, followed by a "large-scale incursion" involving tanks and ground troops in multiple areas. Such actions undermine all efforts toward peaceful resolution and expose Thailand's clear intent to escalate rather than de-escalate the conflict, she said. Thailand on Sunday reported a new death of a soldier, bringing the total number of fatalities to 21, mostly civilians. Cambodia said 13 people have been killed. More than 131,000 people in Thailand have evacuated to safe locations and over 37,000 people fled from three Cambodian provinces. Many border villages are mostly deserted, with many schools and hospitals shut. Evacuees hope for a swift end to the fighting Pichayut Surasit, an air-conditioning technician in Thailand, said the sudden outbreak of fighting meant leaving his work in Bangkok to return home to protect his family. I didn't have the heart to continue with my work when I heard the news. I wanted to come back as soon as possible, but I had to wait until the evening, he said. Now at a shelter in Surin housing some 6,000 evacuees, Pichayut worries for his wife and twin daughters, hoping the conflict will end soon so they can return to their home in Kap Choeng district, one of the hardest hit by shelling. Bualee Chanduang, a local vendor who moved to the same shelter Thursday with her family and pet rabbit, is counting on swift negotiations to end the violence. I pray for God to help so that both sides can agree to talk and end this war, she said. The UN Security Council has called on ASEAN, a regional bloc, to mediate peace between the two members. Human Rights Watch has condemned the reported use of cluster munitions, weapons banned by International law, in populated areas, and urged both governments to protect civilians. The 800-kilometre frontier between Thailand and Cambodia has been disputed for decades, but past confrontations have been limited and brief. The latest tensions erupted in May when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thailand's domestic politics.
