The FBI recently took out a massive internet scam network, arresting over 300 people, freeing over 2,000 people from human trafficking, and seizing over $8 billion in cryptocurrency. 
The FBI said last week that it primarily focused on taking down what it <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/us/articles/fbi-seizes-record-8-billion-182232782.html">calls</a> “scam compounds” in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. The scam compounds are typically guarded and filled with trafficked workers who are forced to conduct romance scams and fake investment schemes that target many Americans. Over 2,000 people were freed from the compounds. 
The operation focused on Prince Holding Group, a company in Cambodia. Authorities also took out a criminal compound in Dubai, Myanmar, and Thailand. Altogether, the FBI seized over 127,000 bitcoin from the nine scam compounds, which is over $8 billion, making it the largest crypto seizure in human history.
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The United States worked with Dubai police to arrest 275 people, six of whom will be transported to the United States to face federal charges.
FBI Director Kash Patel, said the major crackdown gives a clear message to scammers across the world.
&#8220;If you target Americans, we will find you, disrupt your network, and bring every available tool of the federal government down on you,” Patel <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/fbi-seizes-record-setting-8-billion-cryptocurrency-amid-intercontinental-scam-compound-crackdown">told</a> Fox News. 

The FBI also took down the &#8220;Democratic Karen Benevolent Army,” an armed militia in Myanmar that has ties to Chinese mobsters and has been engaging in this criminal scam network..
The U.S. seized thousands of smartphones and other office equipment in Thailand, severely crippling the scam infrastructure there.
During the whole operation, the FBI <a href="https://x.com/jacobincambodia/status/2060184532104700246">worked</a> with the Royal Thai police, the Burmese army, Dubai’s police, and some Chinese investigators. The FBI also utilized Elon Musk’s Starlink to take down over 7,000 terminals in Myanmar that criminals were using to facilitate communications.
The FBI’s 2025 &#8220;Internet Crime Report&#8221; <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/news/press-releases/cryptocurrency-and-ai-scams-bilk-americans-of-billions">states</a> that Americans have been defrauded of $21 billion in cyber-related crimes, with AI and crypto-related scams being the costliest. 
 
Apprehending these con artists and hackers is difficult as the internet allows them to be scattered across the world, seemingly untouchable by American authorities.

FBI Makes Largest Crypto Seizure Ever In Global ‘Scam Compound’ Crackdown

Africa

Cambodia

China

Communist China

Crime

Cryptocurrency

Cyberattack

Cybercrime

Cybersecurity

fbi director

India

kash patel

Middle East

Myanmar

Organized crime

scams

Thailand

President Donald Trump responded early on Sunday to reports of breakout fighting between Thailand and Cambodia, saying that the United States had quickly stepped in to bring the leaders of both nations back around to honoring the peace agreement they&#8217;d made months earlier.
Trump shared the news in a <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115797695341052561">post</a> to his Truth Social platform on Sunday morning, taking a moment to lay out a number of other conflicts in which both his first and second administrations had intervened with positive results.
&#8220;I am pleased to announce that the breakout fighting between Thailand and Cambodia will stop momentarily, and they will go back to living in PEACE, as per our recently agreed to original Treaty,&#8221; Trump began, citing the treaty that was pushed through in July of 2025, brokered by Malaysia but under trade pressure from the United States. &#8220;I want to congratulate both great leaders on their brilliance in coming to this rapid and very fair conclusion. It was FAST &amp; DECISIVE, as all of these situations should be!&#8221;
&#8220;The United States of America, as always, was proud to help! With all of the wars and conflicts I have settled and stopped over the last eleven months, EIGHT, perhaps the United States has become the REAL United Nations, which has been of very little assistance or help in any of them, including the disaster currently going on between Russia and Ukraine,&#8221; Trump continued. &#8220;The United Nations must start getting active and involved in WORLD PEACE!&#8221;
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The new peace agreement between Cambodia and Thailand was signed on Saturday and took effect at noon that day — and will put a stop to all military movements and airspace violations, The Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/thailand-cambodia-border-fighting-ceasefire-0019310e1c062cd211f9f5398b3bc463">reported</a>. Once the ceasefire has held for 72 hours, Thailand will also be required under the new deal to return 18 Cambodian soldiers who have been held prisoner since prior to the last peace agreement in July.
Cambodia’s Tea Seiha and Thailand’s Nattaphon Narkphanit, both defense ministers, met at a checkpoint on their shared border Saturday to sign the new ceasefire agreement.

UK Hosts President Trump And First Lady Melania Trump For State Visit – Day Three

President Trump Responds After Fighting Breaks Out Between Cambodia And Thailand

Donald Trump

Global Politics

Two judges have resigned from the Miss Universe competition, with one judge later claiming that the whole contest was rigged.
Omar Harfouch left the competition, which is currently underway in Bangkok, before the winners were announced. He posted on Instagram Wednesday that he was considering legal action against the organization for misconduct.
The former judge claimed, “two days before the final, a secret vote was held to pre-select 30 contestants out of the 136.” Harfouch went on to allege that the vote “was carried out by individuals who are not official members of the jury” and that “no one knows who the selected 30 are, except one individual who holds the results.”
He said the “same person is affiliated with a national organization of a participating country,” which is a clear “conflict of interest.”
“I could not stand before the public and television cameras, pretending to legitimize a vote I never took part in,” the post went on. “Some of the countries eliminated through this process could be at war, discriminated against, or geopolitically sensitive. Viewers would assume the jury made these decisions, and I cannot bear responsibility for a process I did not participate in. Pretending otherwise would be dishonest.”
The Lebanese-French judge <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DROu7K7kth4/?hl=en">said</a> he was considering legal action. “I was misled and publicly used to give credibility to an election process that was already compromised,” he said. Harfouch also accused a member of the group who made the selections of being romantically involved with a contestant.
Another judge, former soccer player Claude Makélélé, also left the competition on Tuesday. His Instagram blamed his departure on “unforeseen personal reasons.”
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“This was a difficult decision, as I hold Miss Universe in the highest regard,” he <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DRNOAbADQ1F/">wrote</a> in the post. “I hope to be able to contribute in the future under better circumstances.”
The official Miss Universe account responded to Harfouch’s accusations with a social media post denying all claims.
“The Miss Universe Organization reiterates that all judging procedures for the 74th Miss Universe competition remain official, transparent, and fully governed by MUO protocols,” it <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DRNDIUxk6yQ/?hl=en&amp;img_index=2">said</a>. “The Beyond the Crown Program operates independently and is not part of the competition’s evaluation process. We encourage all audiences to refer exclusively to verified MUO communications and to continue supporting the delegates who embody the values of Miss Universe.”
The organization did not immediately return The Daily Wire’s request for additional comment on the allegations.
The pageant began on November 5 and concludes Friday. Earlier this month, several contestants walked out after one of the contest&#8217;s co-owners reprimanded Miss Mexico, Fátima Bosch, for not participating in promotional activities. Thai businessman Nawat Itsaragrisil later apologized for the incident.
Then on Wednesday, the Miss Universe pageant made headlines again after Miss Jamaica Gabrielle Henry fell off the stage and had to be carried away on a stretcher. She is currently recovering and is “stable” with “no broken bones,” per a social media <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRPdoV_iYvk/">update</a>.

Miss Universe

Two Miss Universe Judges Resign, One Claims Contest Is Rigged

Beauty Pageant

General

World

President Trump brokers several monumental deals in Asia, the U.S. ramps up its military presence in the Caribbean, and we get an expert opinion on the state of the Trump economy.
It’s Monday, October 27, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. Today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/mrn-251027-member-exclusive">the video version can be seen on The Daily Wire</a>:
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<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump Strikes Trade Deals In Asia</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-991431" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Trumps-Trade-Tour-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Trumps-Trade-Tour-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Trumps-Trade-Tour-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Trumps-Trade-Tour-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Trumps-Trade-Tour-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Trumps-Trade-Tour.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
Topline: President Trump landed in Asia on Sunday to kick off a whirlwind diplomatic tour aimed at securing new trade deals and peace treaties.
Trump arrived in Malaysia, the first stop on his tour of South Asia, which will also include visits to Japan and South Korea.
The main goal of the trip is to lock down more trade deals and open up access to Asian markets. Within hours of his arrival in Malaysia, the president announced new trade agreements with Thailand, Malaysia, and Cambodia. Each country will eliminate the vast majority of existing tariffs on U.S. imports, and the latter two will allow for unprecedented American investments in rare earth mineral production.
While this trip was focused on trade, the president also signed a ceasefire deal between Cambodia and Thailand, two longtime foes who were on the brink of war this summer after fighting broke out over a border dispute. Under this new agreement, the two sides will pull back military forces from the border and exchange POWs.
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“I love doing it. I shouldn’t say it’s a hobby, because it’s so much more serious than a hobby — but it’s something that I’m good at and it’s something I love to do,” <a href="https://x.com/clashreport/status/1982325118300004784">said</a> Trump.
Meeting Xi: This trip will be defined by Trump’s sit-down with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The two will meet face-to-face on Thursday for the first time since 2019. Ahead of that high-stakes showdown, Trump expressed optimism regarding a “comprehensive deal” that could end the tit-for-tat trade war that’s lasted all year and resulted in unprecedented tariff rates exceeding 100%.
Ahead of that sit-down, officials from both sides have been meeting virtually non-stop this week to hammer out the framework for a potential deal. Beijing says a “basic consensus” has been reached and that the two sides “engaged in candid, in-depth, and constructive exchanges.”
<h2 style="text-align: center;">Trump’s Moves Against Drug Trade In South America</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-991433" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Carriers-To-The-Caribbean-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Carriers-To-The-Caribbean-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Carriers-To-The-Caribbean-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Carriers-To-The-Caribbean-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Carriers-To-The-Caribbean-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Carriers-To-The-Caribbean.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
Topline: President Trump ordered the most advanced U.S. aircraft carrier group to the Caribbean last week as he floated the possibility of strikes against drug cartels on land. And the Trump administration placed sanctions on the president of Colombia as tensions continue to rise with the erstwhile U.S. ally.
Venezuela: President Trump moved the USS Gerald R Ford carrier group to join the forces already stationed in the Caribbean. The Ford carrier group is the largest in the U.S. military, so this is an aggressive signal from the president that he isn’t satisfied with a few drug boats blown up here and there.
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham appeared on CBS’ &#8220;Face The Nation&#8221; on Sunday and said he had spoken to President Trump about potential land strikes in South America.
“I think that’s a real possibility,” <a href="https://x.com/FaceTheNation/status/1982479665525613037">said</a> Graham. “I think President Trump has made a decision that Maduro, the leader of Venezuela, is an indicted drug trafficker, that it’s time for him to go, that Venezuela and Colombia have been safe havens for narco-terrorists for too long.”
Venezuelan Dictator Nicolas Maduro said last week that there are 5,000 Russian-made anti-aircraft missiles stationed around the country to defend the airspace. He also said that “millions of men and women with rifles would march across the country” if the United States were to attack on Venezuelan soil.
Colombia: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced sanctions on Colombian President Gustavo Petro and his family on Friday. Bessent said in a statement that Petro “has allowed drug cartels to flourish and refused to stop this activity.”
Colombian officials have pushed back, pointing to continued interdiction of cocaine &#8212; but the country’s coca fields have grown continuously since Petro took power in 2022. Trump’s moves against Colombia have received support from Republicans representing sizable communities of Colombian Americans.
“Colombia is once again the number one producer of coke in the world. Colombians don&#8217;t deserve that,” <a href="https://x.com/RepMariaSalazar/status/1982503947744243931">said</a> Florida Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar. “President Trump has a responsibility to stop drugs coming into this country.”
<h2 style="text-align: center;">E.J. Antoni On Inflation and Trump’s Trade Deals</h2>
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-991435" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Growth-Without-Gimmicks-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Growth-Without-Gimmicks-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Growth-Without-Gimmicks-300x169.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Growth-Without-Gimmicks-768x432.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Growth-Without-Gimmicks-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/Growth-Without-Gimmicks.jpg 1920w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></div>
Topline: The latest economic report shows inflation slightly cooler than experts predicted at 0.3% rather than the predicted 0.4%. The White House is touting the numbers as yet more proof that Trump’s economic plan is working.
Morning Wire spoke with economist E.J. Antoni of the Heritage Foundation. (The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.)
Morning Wire: First, big picture – we&#8217;re nine months into Trump&#8217;s second term. How is the economy doing?
Antoni: I&#8217;d say the best way to describe it is that it&#8217;s in the midst of a transition, right? For basically the last two years of the Biden administration, you had a labor market that was being propped up in a lot of ways by government hiring. That&#8217;s gone away. In fact, it&#8217;s been replaced with government firings. And the result of that is a drag on the overall jobs numbers, right? In the same way, when you look at something like the way we measure the economy through gross domestic product or GDP, you had government purchases which were accounting for a very large percentage of that. That&#8217;s all gone away. In fact, it&#8217;s been replaced by a reduction in those government purchases, which is a drag on the headline number. What I&#8217;m trying to get at here is, as the government re-privatizes, as the Treasury Secretary says, you will see what looks like sluggish growth – which I think we&#8217;re in right now – but in reality is actually a returning to health. It&#8217;s almost like the chemotherapy that makes you feel really lousy, but gets rid of your cancer.
Morning Wire: The inflation numbers were a little bit cooler than projected. How do you feel about the state of inflation right now?
Antoni: Pretty good, especially since the number one driver of inflation in that CPI report for the month of September was gasoline prices going up so much, except that increase has completely reversed in the first three weeks of October. Now, prices are actually slightly lower than they were in most markets. We should expect the next CPI report – if we can even get it, it&#8217;s unclear because the government shut down – but if we could get it, we would expect even cooler CPI numbers.
Morning Wire: Treasury data show the tariff collection has really surged in recent months. What is the net effect of Trump&#8217;s tariff plan thus far in the economy? Are they working as advertised?
Antoni: Well, I guess it depends on how we want to say as advertised, right? … But here are the facts. They&#8217;re bringing in way more revenue than anticipated to the Treasury. We can certainly have a debate over who is paying for those tariffs. But, the fact is they&#8217;re bringing in billions of dollars in revenue, in fact, hundreds of billions of dollars when you annualize it. That&#8217;s one of the reasons why September had the biggest surplus ever for the month of September in terms of the Treasury monthly statement. It was because not only have we seen a reduction in overall government spending, but an increase in revenues, overall revenues of course, because the economy&#8217;s growing, but also specifically from customs duties, which are from the increase in tariffs.
Morning Wire: Is the reshoring effect — like Stellantis moving some production to the U.S. — is that a real trend or just a few isolated incidents?
Antoni: It’s certainly a real trend, but it is being blunted to a certain extent right now. You are seeing help to the manufacturing sector, and that some of it is being re-shored. But you&#8217;re also seeing, at least in the short term, some pain inflicted on manufacturing because, again, some of the things being tariffed are actually inputs. You&#8217;re making it more expensive, let&#8217;s say, for a car manufacturer to buy steel from abroad for the time being. Now, once that steel gets re-shored back to the United States and you can buy it domestically, then it&#8217;s a moot point, right? But at least for the time being, you&#8217;re having competing effects there where one is helping, the other is hurting.
Morning Wire: Final question, we&#8217;re about to wrap up the year with a couple months left here. What do you project to happen big-picture with the economy over the next few months?
Antoni: I think we&#8217;re going to continue to see some of these very positive trends with economic growth where, although the public sector, the government is shrinking, we&#8217;re going to continue to see growth in the productive private sector. And in particular, one of the reasons why I&#8217;m so optimistic here is that the growth we have seen thus far this year, which I think will continue, has been driven by increases in earnings, not simply increases in debt. … Their money is going further because earnings growth is outpacing inflation. That&#8217;s a very positive development.

MRN-251027-Thumb-V1

Morning Brief: Trump’s Asia Blitz & Military Build-Up In The Caribbean

Colombia

Inflation

Lindsey Graham

Morning Wire

Tariffs

Venezuela

Xi Jinping

President Donald Trump attended a peace ceremony for Cambodia and Thailand on Sunday after helping mediate a ceasefire agreement between the two countries.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul joined Trump in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to formalize the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords brokered earlier this year. The agreement ended a five-day conflict this summer that resulted in dozens of deaths, according to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/world/asia/trump-thailand-cambodia-peace-deal-rcna239816">NBC News</a>.
“On behalf of the United States, I’m proud to help settle this conflict and forge a future for the region,” said Trump.
Under the terms of the ceasefire, Thailand will release 18 Cambodian soldiers detained during the conflict. Both countries will remove heavy weapons from along their shared border, and officials with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will monitor the ceasefire.
“We saved maybe millions of lives on this one peace deal,” <a href="https://x.com/theinformant_x/status/1982312178695737737">said</a> Trump.
Manet hailed Trump’s involvement in brokering the ceasefire, saying: “Reflecting the gratitude of the Cambodian people, I have nominated President Donald J. Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. He saved lives,” according to the <a href="https://nypost.com/2025/10/26/us-news/trump-signs-peace-and-trade-deals-ending-conflict-between-cambodia-and-thailand-rips-un-didnt-get-involved/">New York Post</a>.
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Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-signs-slew-of-trade-critical-minerals-deals-on-southeast-asia-tour?author=Reuters&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Trump+Signs+Slew+Of+Trade%2C+Critical+Minerals+Deals+On+Southeast+Asia+Tour">struck</a> separate economic deals with Cambodia and Thailand after the peace accords were signed. Trump also <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/10/joint-statement-on-united-states-malaysia-agreement-on-reciprocal-trade/">signed</a> a trade agreement with Malaysia that includes critical minerals, a key issue for the Trump administration as it seeks to curb U.S. reliance on China. Under the agreement, Malaysia has agreed to not ban or impose a quota on critical minerals or rare earth elements to the United States.
The United States has agreed to cap the tariff rate on goods from all three countries at 19%, according to the trade deals. On some goods, the tariff rate will be reduced to nothing.
Trump’s stop in Malaysia on Sunday is the start of a nearly weeklong tour of Asia. The president is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping later in the week as the United States and China tussle over trade.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday said that U.S. and Chinese negotiators have struck agreement on a trade “framework” ahead of the Trump-Xi meeting.
“President Trump gave me a great deal of negotiating leverage with the threat of the 100% tariffs, and I believe we’ve reached a very substantial framework that will avoid that and allow us to discuss many other things with the Chinese,” said Bessent during an appearance on <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/us-china-trade-deal-avoid-100-tariffs-scott-bessent-rcna239822">NBC News</a>.

President Trump Meets With Asian Leaders In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Trump Touts ‘Millions Of Lives’ Saved With Cambodia-Thailand Peace Accords

The United States signed a flurry of deals on trade and critical minerals with four Southeast Asian partners on Sunday, looking to address trade imbalances and diversify supply chains amid tighter export curbs on rare earths by China.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who is in Kuala Lumpur to attend a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, signed reciprocal trade deals with his Malaysian and Cambodian counterparts, as well as a framework trade pact with Thailand that will see the countries work to address tariff and non-tariff barriers.
The United States would maintain a tariff rate of 19% on exports from all three countries under the deals, with the levy to be reduced to zero for some goods, according to joint statements released by the White House.
Washington also announced a similar framework deal with Vietnam, which has been levied with a tariff rate of 20% on its exports to the United States.
Vietnam, which recorded a trade surplus of $123 billion with the United States last year, has pledged to vastly boost its purchases of U.S. products to reduce the trade gap between the two countries.
Trump on Sunday inked two separate U.S. deals with Thailand and Malaysia seeking cooperation to diversify critical minerals supply chains, amid competing efforts from Beijing in the rapidly growing sector.
Reuters reported exclusively this month that China was in talks with Kuala Lumpur on rare earths processing, with Malaysian sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional expected to partner with a Chinese firm to build a refinery in Malaysia.
China, the world&#8217;s top miner and processor of rare earths, has imposed increasingly stringent export controls on its refining technology, sending global manufacturers scrambling to secure alternative supplies for critical minerals used widely in semiconductor chips, electric vehicles and military equipment.
Malaysia agreed on Sunday to refrain from banning or imposing quotas on exports to the U.S. of critical minerals or rare earth elements, the countries said in a statement.
The statement however did not specify whether Malaysia&#8217;s pledge applied to raw or processed rare earths.
Malaysia, which has an estimated 16.1 million tonnes of rare earth deposits, has banned the export of raw rare earths to prevent the loss of resources as it looks to develop its downstream sector.
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The agreements were inked after Trump oversaw the signing of an enhanced ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia, following deadly border clashes between the neighbours earlier this year.
Under the deals, the four Southeast Asian countries pledged to remove trade barriers and provide preferential market access to various U.S. goods.
The deals also include commitments in digital trade, services and investments as well as promises by the Southeast Asian countries to protect labour rights and strengthen environmental protections.
Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam further agreed to accept vehicles built to U.S. motor vehicle safety and emissions standards, according to the statements.
Malaysia, a majority Muslim country recognized as a global leader in halal certification, agreed to streamline requirements for U.S. products such as cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
Its trade minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz told reporters that Malaysia had also secured tariff exemptions for aerospace equipment and pharmaceutical products as well as commodities such as palm oil, cacao and rubber.
Thailand said it would eliminate tariff barriers on approximately 99% of goods, and relax foreign ownership restrictions for U.S. investment in its telecommunications sector, both countries said in a statement.
They also took note of several forthcoming commercial deals between Thai and U.S. companies, including the purchases of agriculture products such as feed corn and soybean meal worth an estimated $2.6 billion per year.
Thailand has also committed to purchases of 80 U.S. aircraft totalling $18.8 billion and energy goods including liquefied natural gas and crude oil of around $5.4 billion annually, the statement said.
(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt, Danial Azhar, Orathai Sriring, Khanh Vu and Mikhail Flores; Writing by Rozanna Latiff; editing by David Stanway and Mark Heinrich)

Trump Signs Slew Of Trade, Critical Minerals Deals On Southeast Asia Tour

Free Trade

Vietnam

The Prime Minister of Cambodia on Thursday nominated President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize after he intervened in the country&#8217;s conflict with Thailand.
Trump helped implement a ceasefire between the two Southeast Asian nations after “five days of clashes that included airstrikes and artillery shelling, which left dozens dead and displaced over 300,000 people along the roughly 800-kilometer (500-mile) border,” Bloomberg News <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-08-07/cambodia-formally-nominates-donald-trump-for-the-nobel-prize">reported</a>.
On July 28, Trump wrote on Truth Social, &#8220;Just spoke to the Acting Prime Minister of Thailand and Prime Minister of Cambodia. I am pleased to announce that, after the involvement of President Donald J. Trump, both Countries have reached a CEASEFIRE and PEACE&#8230; I am proud to be the President of PEACE!&#8221;
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&#8220;Just spoke to the Acting Prime Minister of Thailand and Prime Minister of Cambodia. I am pleased to announce that, after the involvement of President Donald J. Trump, both Countries have reached a CEASEFIRE and PEACE&#8230; I am proud to be the President of PEACE!&#8221; &#8211; President Trump <a href="https://t.co/ecyQMqWN4g">pic.twitter.com/ecyQMqWN4g</a>
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1949852573063618656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“In accordance with the wishes of Cambodian people both inside and outside of Cambodia, as well as to express our sincere appreciation for president Donald Trump&#8217;s initiative and support contributing greatly to immediate ceasefire between Cambodian and Thai forces and his continuous attention on its successful implementation until peace is fully achieved between the two countries; I, as the Prime Minister of Cambodia, have submitted to the Norwegian Nobel Committee an official letter of nomination for President Donald Trump for the Noble Peace Prize,”  Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet wrote in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid035ACSGfdWFhVmLxgugXXFi5TphK8EaLdrV3ek34R1eajEicieXLu2fmFZVKanwf2Bl&amp;id=100069511484329">letter</a> to the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
“Trump last weekend set an end to the clashes as a <a href="https://www.wsj.com/world/asia/thailand-and-cambodia-consider-cease-fire-after-calls-with-trump-on-border-clashes-5c22f92e?mod=article_inline" data-type="link">condition for lowering high ‘reciprocal tariffs’</a> he had threatened to impose on both nations,” The Wall Street Journal reported on August 1. “On Monday, the leaders of Cambodia and Thailand agreed to a truce during a meeting in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.”
“Social media platforms have been inundated with hashtags such as #ThanksTrump, #PresidentOfPeace, and #TrumpForPeacePrize, with users hailing him as a global peacemaker. Memes, portraits, and tributes featuring Trump alongside the US and Cambodian flags – and images of Cambodian refugees, especially children – have gone viral,” Thai PBS World <a href="https://world.thaipbs.or.th/detail/trump-for-nobel-peace-prize/58453">reported</a>.
This summer, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nominated Trump for the peace prize, followed by Pakistan nominating him over its war with India.

Thailand and Cambodia Agree on 13 Key Steps to Carry Out Ceasefire Deal

Cambodia’s Leader Pushes Trump For Nobel Peace Prize

Executive

Nobel Peace Prize

Politics

The leaders of Thailand and Cambodia agreed to a ceasefire effective at midnight on Monday after President Donald Trump threatened not to enter into a trade deal with either country until the fighting ended. Dozens of people were killed and hundreds of thousands of civilians were forced to flee when fighting erupted last week near the border.
Thailand’s acting prime minister, Phumtham Wechayachai, and Cambodia’s prime minister, Hun Manet, shook hands just hours after President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/very-good-conversation-trump-says-peace-between-cambodia-and-thailand-imminent-after-phone-calls">spoke</a> to both leaders on Saturday and pushed them to stop the fighting. The peace talks between the two countries took place in Putrajaya, Malaysia, and were organized by Malaysian and American officials, The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/world/asia/thailand-cambodia-ceasefire-talks.html">reported</a>.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that Thailand and Cambodia agreed to &#8220;an immediate and unconditional ceasefire with effect from midnight tonight,&#8221; according to Reuters.
&#8220;This is final,&#8221; Ibrahim added.
Trump commented on the ceasefire agreement while speaking to reporters in Scotland on Monday, saying, &#8220;That was going to be a very bad war, and so we&#8217;re honored we got involved. It&#8217;s essentially settled.&#8221;
&#8220;That could&#8217;ve gone on for years. Millions of people could&#8217;ve been killed. We ended the war — and we&#8217;re very happy about it,&#8221; Trump added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on the ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand: &#8220;It&#8217;s peace. That was going to be a very bad war &#8230; That could&#8217;ve gone on for years. Millions of people could&#8217;ve been killed. We ended the war — and we&#8217;re very happy about it.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/KuIqjoBRsb">pic.twitter.com/KuIqjoBRsb</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1949799407198638548?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2025</a></blockquote>
The fighting erupted last Thursday near a temple that both Thailand and Cambodia claim. The two Southeast Asian countries traded attacks, including airstrikes and rocket fire along the 508-mile-long border separating them. The recent fighting marks the deadliest conflict between Thailand and Cambodia in nearly 15 years, as 36 people have been killed. Between 2008 and 2011, the countries engaged in fighting over contested border land that resulted in 34 deaths.
The fighting drew the attention of the United States and China, as both countries have interests in the region. Thailand is a military and trading partner with the United States, while China is the largest trading partner of both Thailand and Cambodia. China also funds a large navy base in Cambodia. Chinese diplomats attended the peace talks in Putrajaya as Beijing pressured both countries to agree to a ceasefire.
&#8220;Today we have a very good meeting and very good results&#8230; that hope to stop immediately the fighting that has caused many lives lost, injuries, and also caused displacement of people,&#8221; said Cambodian Prime Minister Manet.
Acting Thai Prime Minister Wechayachai, who had previously expressed doubts about Cambodia sticking to the terms of a ceasefire, said that the deal would &#8220;be carried out successfully in good faith by both sides.&#8221;
On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that he had spoken with leaders in both Thailand and Cambodia, adding that he and President Trump were &#8220;monitoring the situation very closely.”
&#8220;We want this conflict to end as soon as possible,&#8221; Rubio stated.
In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, Trump said that he would not make a trade deal with either country if the fighting continued. The Trump administration is currently in talks with both Thailand and Cambodia as the president prepares to roll out his worldwide tariffs on August 1.
Thailand has been a major U.S. trading partner, exporting <a href="https://ustr.gov/countries-regions/southeast-asia-pacific/thailand">$63.3 billion</a> worth of goods to the United States in 2024. Thailand&#8217;s exports to the United States include vital items such as electronic equipment and nuclear reactors, <a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/exports/united-states">according</a> to Trading Economics.

‘This Is Final’: Thailand, Cambodia Reach Ceasefire Agreement After Call From Trump

President Donald Trump finalizes a historic trade deal with the European Union and brokers a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia. The Department of Justice questions Ghislaine Maxwell for the first time, as FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino issues a cryptic warning about government weaponization. And Trump slams California Governor Gavin Newsom after nearly $100 million in celebrity-raised wildfire aid reportedly fails to reach victims. 
It’s Monday, July 28, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day. 
Morning Wire is available on video! You can watch today’s episode here:
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If you’d rather listen to your news, today’s edition of the Morning Wire podcast can be heard below:
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<h2>Trump Strikes EU Trade Deal, Brokers Ceasefire</h2>
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Topline: President Trump secured a historic trade agreement with the European Union over the weekend and successfully brokered a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia. 
On Sunday, President Trump finalized a massive trade deal with the EU just four days before his August 1 deadline. Under the terms of the agreement, the United States will set a baseline tariff of 15% on most European goods, while the EU will open its markets to American products at a zero-percent tariff. The EU also agreed to purchase $750 billion in energy and defense products from the United States. Collectively, the nations in the EU bloc are America&#8217;s largest trading partner.
Announcing the deal, Trump <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1949527667478319115">said</a>, “It’s great that we made a deal today instead of playing games.” The agreement is a significant win for the White House, as the EU had initially proposed a lower 10% tariff rate.
The deal capped off a weekend of foreign policy wins for the president. After a long-disputed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/very-good-conversation-trump-says-peace-between-cambodia-and-thailand-imminent-after-phone-calls">border conflict</a> between Thailand and Cambodia erupted into a firefight that killed at least 35 people, Trump intervened. The president threatened both nations with 36% tariffs if they did not immediately begin peace talks. Within hours, the two countries agreed to negotiations, which are set to take place on Monday.
With the deadline just days away, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick issued a firm warning to other trading partners that have not yet reached an agreement with the United States. &#8220;No extensions, no more grace periods — August 1st, the tariffs are set,&#8221; he said. 
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<h2></h2>
<h2>DOJ Questions Ghislaine Maxwell For The First Time</h2>
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Topline: The Department of Justice has interviewed Jeffrey Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell for the first time, a development that legal experts find remarkable, as FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino issued a cryptic warning about government corruption. 
The DOJ met with Maxwell last week, with her attorney David Oscar Markus confirming that prosecutors questioned her about &#8220;100 different people.&#8221; Markus noted that it was the &#8220;first opportunity she&#8217;s ever been given to answer questions about what happened.&#8221; George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley called the development remarkable, expressing shock on Fox News that Maxwell, &#8220;the one who knows the most,&#8221; had been an untapped resource for so long. 
It&#8217;s very likely that Maxwell hopes to trade her testimony for clemency &#8211; she&#8217;s currently serving a <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/ghislaine-maxwell-sentenced-20-years-prison-conspiring-jeffrey-epstein-sexually-abuse">20-year sentence</a> for her role in Epstein&#8217;s sex trafficking ring. President Trump has not ruled out a pardon for Maxwell, but her attorney stated that there have been no discussions on this point. Maxwell was reportedly offered limited immunity for the interviews. 
As the DOJ began questioning Maxwell, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino released a statement on X regarding his discovery of political corruption within the government. Bongino said that the information he has seen relating to government weaponization &#8220;shocked [him] down to [his] core&#8221; and that he would &#8220;never be the same after learning what I’ve learned.&#8221; He urged patience and promised answers would come after a full investigation is completed &#8220;by the book and in accordance with the law.&#8221; 
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<h2>California Wildfire Aid Reportedly ‘Disappears’</h2>
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Topline: President Trump is criticizing California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom after nearly $100 million in aid raised by the &#8220;FireAid&#8221; celebrity concert reportedly failed to reach the wildfire victims it was intended to help. 
The &#8220;FireAid&#8221; concert, featuring A-list artists like Katy Perry and Lady Gaga, raised money for residents impacted by the devastating Pacific Palisades and Altadena wildfires earlier this year. Celebrity spokespeople, including actors Miles Teller and Samuel L. Jackson, assured the public that &#8220;All the money raised will go directly to people who need it.&#8221; However, victims on the ground say they have not received any of the money. 
President Trump took to social media to blast the situation, calling it &#8220;A TOTAL DISASTER&#8221; and &#8220;ANOTHER DEMOCRAT INSPIRED SCAM.&#8221; He also slammed Newsom’s forest management, which he said allowed the fires to happen in the first place. FireAid has since issued a statement claiming the plan was never to make direct payments to individuals, but to work through local non-profits. 
An investigation by local news editor Sue Pascoe, who lost her home in the Palisades fire, found that some of these nonprofits appear to be using the funds for their own social and political causes. One group promised to use the money to &#8220;cultivate egalitarian relationships based on trust and respect,&#8221; while another said it would work to build &#8220;a more humane and democratic society.&#8221; Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) is now pushing for an investigation into where the funds went.

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Morning Brief: Trump’s EU Trade Deal, Ghislaine Maxwell’s Interview & California’s FireAid Meltdown

California

Dan Bongino

European Union

Gavin Newsom

Ghislaine Maxwell

Jeffrey Epstein

Media

Wildfires

President Donald Trump shared two quick updates while traveling in Scotland over the weekend, saying on Saturday that he&#8217;d spoken to the leaders of both Thailand and Cambodia in an effort to bring about a peace agreement between the two warring nations.
Trump made back-to-back announcements — under thirty minutes apart — and said that he believed the two nations were at least on the road to a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict over their shared border. He spoke first with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet.
&#8220;Just spoke to the Prime Minister of Cambodia relative to stopping the War with Thailand,&#8221; Trump posted on his Truth Social platform. &#8220;I am calling the Acting Prime Minister of Thailand, right now, to likewise request a Ceasefire, and END to the War, which is currently raging. We happen to be, by coincidence, currently dealing on Trade with both Countries, but do not want to make any Deal, with either Country, if they are fighting — And I have told them so!&#8221;
&#8220;The call with Thailand is being made momentarily. The call with Cambodia has ended, but expect to call back regarding War stoppage and Ceasefire based on what Thailand has to say,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;I am trying to simplify a complex situation! Many people are being killed in this War, but it very much reminds me of the Conflict between Pakistan and India, which was brought to a successful halt.&#8221;
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<a href="https://t.co/50j2zNeJIB">pic.twitter.com/50j2zNeJIB</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1949131207200944267?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
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He followed that a short time later with an update regarding his call with Thailand&#8217;s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai — serving since the previous Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended earlier this month. He also briefly served as acting prime minister in August of 2024.
&#8220;I have just spoken to the Acting Prime Minister of Thailand, and it was a very good conversation,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Thailand, like Cambodia, wants to have an immediate Ceasefire, and PEACE. I am now going to relay that message back to the Prime Minister of Cambodia. After speaking to both Parties, Ceasefire, Peace, and Prosperity seems to be a natural. We will soon see!&#8221;
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<a href="https://t.co/OcEV9V6hR9">https://t.co/OcEV9V6hR9</a> <a href="https://t.co/yle7Jlt1Rv">pic.twitter.com/yle7Jlt1Rv</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1949135223536456184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2025</a></blockquote>
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The President gave a third update a short time later, saying, “I just had a very good call with the Prime Minister of Cambodia, and informed him of my discussions with Thailand, and its Acting Prime Minister. Both Parties are looking for an immediate Ceasefire and Peace.”
”They are also looking to get back to the ‘Trading Table’ with the United States, which we think is inappropriate to do until such time as the fighting STOPS,” he continued. “They have agreed to immediately meet and quickly work out a Ceasefire and, ultimately, PEACE! It was an Honor to deal with both Countries. They have a long and storied History and Culture. They will hopefully get along for many years to come. When all is done, and Peace is at hand, I look forward to concluding our Trading Agreements with both!”
The conflict at the border between Cambodia and Thailand could have larger ramifications globally if it continues: Thailand has a strong diplomatic relationship with the United States and has a much larger and better-equipped military — and Cambodia, despite having a much smaller military, has deep ties to Communist China.

President Trump Hosts Phillipines President Marcos At The White House

‘Very Good Conversation’: Trump Says Peace Between Cambodia And Thailand Imminent After Phone Calls

Pakistan

A Thai man who worked in Israel and survived the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack told The Daily Wire he can identify the man seen in recently-released footage of injured hostages at Al Shifa hospital as his longtime roommate.
Mitchai Sarabon, recovering from injuries suffered in the attack, says the man shown on a stretcher with a bloodied hand is his roommate and colleague Phonsawan Pinakalo.
“We did everything together, from cooking and eating,” Sarabon told The Daily Wire through a translator. “I can recognize him even if he only had one leg shown in the video.”
The Israeli Defense Forces released a surveillance video reportedly showing two hostages being moved through the hospital on October 7. It was released as evidence that Hamas is operating inside the hospital, which has been under siege by the Israeli military because of the terrorist activity.
Critics have cast doubt on the footage, saying there is no evidence that the men seen in the videos are hostages. The IDF did not disclose the identity of the injured, though it did say that one was a Thai citizen.
Though his face is blurred in the security camera footage the IDF released, Sarabon says he recognizes Pinakalo, his roommate of nearly four years, by his body shape and the spotted shorts the man in the video is wearing. He provided a photo of Pinakalo that was posted to Facebook the day before the attack showing him wearing the same unique shorts that are visible in the footage.
<div id="attachment_657019" style="width: 252px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-657019" class="size-medium wp-image-657019" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/386361669_3531625373716810_4618130991883527388_n-242x300.jpg" alt="" width="242" height="300" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/386361669_3531625373716810_4618130991883527388_n-242x300.jpg 242w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/386361669_3531625373716810_4618130991883527388_n-465x576.jpg 465w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/386361669_3531625373716810_4618130991883527388_n.jpg 721w" sizes=" (max-width: 242px) 100vw, 242px" />Phonsawan Pinakalo on Oct. 6 wearing shorts that his roommate says are the same shorts worn by a hostage taken by Hamas on Oct. 7. (Courtesy: Mitchai Sarabon)</div>
“That day we were all celebrating the day off and he wore the shorts late into the night before bed until the morning on October 7 before Hamas came,” he said.
The IDF says the footage is from between the hours of 10:42 a.m. and 11:01 a.m. on Oct. 7 and shows a Nepalese civilian and a Thai civilian who were abducted by Hamas.
&#8220;These findings prove that the Hamas terrorist organization used the Shifa Hospital complex on the day of the October 7 Massacre as terrorist infrastructure,&#8221; the IDF wrote.
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Breaking: the <a href="https://twitter.com/IDF?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IDF</a> released cctv footage from the Shifa Hospital with an October 7th time stamp, documenting Hamas terrorists forcibly transporting hostages (a Nepalese civilian and a Thai civilian) through the hospital.
These findings prove that the Hamas terrorist organization… <a href="https://t.co/immopC5qyB">pic.twitter.com/immopC5qyB</a>
— Israel ישראל 🇮🇱 (@Israel) <a href="https://twitter.com/Israel/status/1726318944452034834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Pinakalo’s Facebook page has not been updated since the attack.
The IDF declined to comment. The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office did not respond in time for publication.
Sarabon said he shared a room with Pinakalo at a compound on the edge of Kibbutz Alumim — 2.5 miles from the Gaza border — where they worked on an orange farm.
“We became friends since we both came to work in Israel,” said Sarabon. “He is a hard worker, and he is always kind. He was kind of a second in command of our group. He likes to make everybody happy, always laughing, smiling, and having fun. He loved to cook and was the kind of person that would always help someone who needed something.”
Sarabon says he thought his friend died that day, and now has &#8220;hope&#8221; that he is alive.
“I feel scared and now worry about my friend,” he said. “At first I thought he was killed that day, but after seeing the video I hope he is still alive and will return to his family.”
Critics of Israel&#8217;s war against Hamas have said there is no evidence that the terrorist group was operating out of the hospital, and argued that the injured men seen in the video weren&#8217;t actually hostages.
&#8220;These are just critically ill patients being moved, something that often happens in hospitals,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/Haqiqatjou/status/1726328600297951565">said</a>, for example, Daniel Haqiqatjou, the founder of a Muslim educational organization. &#8220;Convenient of you to blur the faces so we can&#8217;t see that these are not Israelis at all.&#8221;
Sarabon, 32, is himself a survivor of the attack, suffering multiple gunshot wounds from Hamas terrorists, including one in his head. He spent 24 days recovering in an Israeli hospital before returning to Thailand. He said he is unable to use his arm properly and needs treatments every day at the hospital, at his own expense.
<div id="attachment_657017" style="width: 222px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-657017" class="size-medium wp-image-657017" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/IMG_2400-212x300.jpg" alt="" width="212" height="300" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/IMG_2400-212x300.jpg 212w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/IMG_2400-408x576.jpg 408w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/IMG_2400.jpg 589w" sizes=" (max-width: 212px) 100vw, 212px" />32-year-old Mitchai Sarabon says he was shot multiple times by Hamas terrorist on the Oct. 7 attack. (Courtesy: Mitchai Sarabon)</div>
The two roommates are two just nearly 6,000 Thai nationals who were working in southern Israel before Hamas’s attack. Thirty-two citizens of Thailand were killed by terrorists, 19 were injured and 19 are believed to be held captive in Gaza, <a href="https://www.mfa.go.th/en/content/statement-29102023-2">according to the Thai Foreign Ministry</a>.

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EXCLUSIVE: Survivor Of Hamas Attack Identifies Hostage From Al Shifa Hospital Footage As His Roommate

Hamas

Israel

Sixty-three Chinese <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/christianity" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Christians</a> who were facing expulsion back to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China</a> have been given shelter in the United States after being detained in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/thailand" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Thailand</a>.
The Christians are members of the Shenzhen Holy Reform Church, also known as the “Mayflower Church,” and left China due to religious persecution in November 2019. They had hoped to be granted refugee status in Thailand by the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/united-nations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United Nations</a>, but instead they faced immigration-related charges. 
After negotiations with the State Department, Department of Homeland Security, and the U.N, Thailand agreed to let the U.S. take in the Christians, who hope to become permanent residents of the U.S. 
“ChinaAid welcomes the landing of the persecuted Chinese ‘Mayflower Church’ to freedom in America, and welcomes them to Texas,” ChinaAid Founder Bo Fu <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2023/04/05/us_steps_up_efforts_to_help_chinese_christians__149072.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a Friday statement, according to RealClearPolitics. “This is truly a Good Friday. Barely a week ago, members of the Mayflower Church were still incarcerated in a jail facing imminent danger of [Chinese Communist Party] kidnapping threats. Now they are safe and free.”
The group, led by Pastor Pan Yongguang, a minister ordained by the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA), landed at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on Friday. It had been a tumultuous three years for the group, who initially had attempted to stay in South Korea before moving to Thailand. 
&#8220;This is a successful example of nonpartisan, international cooperation,&#8221; ChinaAid CEO Chad Bullard <a href="https://www.christianpost.com/news/chinas-mayflower-church-members-resettled-in-us-after-3-years.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;We are thankful to all parties including various U.S. government agencies, particularly the State Department&#8217;s International Religious Freedom Office led by Ambassador Rashad Hussain, the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, USCIRF, and a number of congressional offices including Chairman Mike McCaul and Chairman Chris Smith.&#8221; 
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Smith, a New Jersey Republican who is chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, was pleased with the news. “It is a very Good Friday indeed, and a perfect Easter gift to see these persecuted Chinese Christians arrive and be allowed to practice their faith freely in the United States,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Had they been forcibly repatriated to China, they would have been jailed and severely persecuted.&#8221;
Other lawmakers who asked the State Department to intervene on behalf of the Chinese Christians included Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL). 
“I was proud to assist in the effort to get them to safety alongside many others, including Ambassador Godec and the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, the State Department’s legislative team, key members of Congress, the Royal Thai Government, and Ambassador Tanee and the Royal Thai Embassy,&#8221; Cruz said in a statement. &#8220;I am especially grateful for ChinaAid and Freedom Seekers International, and for the people of Tyler, Texas who have welcomed the congregation into their homes. Because of their generosity and diligence, the Mayflower Church can now share in the freedoms that we enjoy every day in America.”

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63 Chinese Christians Find Refuge In America On Good Friday After Fleeing Persecution

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