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by Aidan JONES and Sippachai KUNNUWONG King Maha Vajiralongkorn, Rama X of Thailand, was crowned Saturday in a dazzling show of pageantry, laced with Hindu and Buddhist ritual, vowing to reign “with righteousness” on behalf of the Thai people. Starting at the auspicious time of 10:09 am (0309 GMT), the public was granted a rare window into the cloistered halls of Thai power as the key rituals of the three-day coronation began. King Vajiralongkorn is […]
by Nicolas Anil KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — A Vietnamese woman who had been accused of assassinating the North Korean leader’s half-brother was freed from prison Friday, ending legal proceedings over the brazen killing after an often bizarre two-year saga. Kim Jong Nam, the estranged relative of Kim Jong Un and once seen as the heir apparent to the North’s leadership, died in agony after having his face smeared with a banned nerve agent as […]
by Dene-Hern Chen Agence France Presse BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn will be crowned this weekend in a pageantry-laden ceremony , as Rama X furthers his primacy over one of the world’s richest monarchies and a kingdom beset by ulcerous political divides. The May 4-6 coronation comes more than two years after Vajiralongkorn ascended the throne at the death of his father Bhumibol Adulyadej. Bhumibol reigned over seven tumultuous decades and was […]
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia has accused the Vietnamese coastguard of ramming one of its vessels to block the interception of a boat fishing illegally, as a senior minister announced a return to sinking foreign trawlers. The clash in the South China Sea at the weekend saw Jakarta summon Vietnam’s ambassador on Monday, after the navy detained a dozen Vietnamese fishermen. “The actions taken by the Vietnamese coast guard ship endangered the lives of […]
by Debbi Ernest Agence France Presse BENGKULU, Indonesia (AFP) — Floods sparked by torrential rains have killed nearly 40 in Indonesia with a dozen more still missing, officials said Monday, marking the latest calamity for a disaster-prone nation. Landslides and floods are common during the monsoon season between October and April, when rains lash the vast Southeast Asian archipelago. On Monday, Indonesia’s disaster agency confirmed 29 deaths and said at least 13 more people […]
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Torrential rain triggered flooding in parts of the Indonesian capital Jakarta overnight, the disaster agency said Friday, forcing the evacuation of residents. Heavy rain pounded the greater Jakarta area, causing the Ciliwung river to burst its banks, and prompting flash flooding in at least 17 communities. Dozens of residents in parts of the capital’s east, where flooding occurs frequently during rainy season, were forced to wade through streets filled with 1-metre […]
YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — More than 50 people were feared dead after a landslide in northern Myanmar engulfed jade miners while they were sleeping, local police said Tuesday, the latest deadly accident in a notoriously dangerous industry. Dozens die each year in landslides caused by jade mining, a poorly regulated industry rife with corruption and sandwiched between the country’s borders with China and India. Local police described a freak accident in Kachin state on Monday […]
BANGKOK, Thailand (AFP) — The Thai Navy will begin removing a “seastead” home built by an American bitcoin investor and his partner off the coast of Thailand, an official said Saturday, as the couple remain in hiding from charges accusing them of violating the country’s sovereignty. Chad Elwartowski and his Thai girlfriend Supranee Thepdet, known as “Bitcoin Girl Thailand”, are facing charges of threatening the kingdom’s independence after authorities found their ocean-based home about 12 […]
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesian authorities warned Thursday against unrest as a firebrand ex-general rejected unofficial election results that appeared to hand President Joko Widodo another term as leader of the world’s third-biggest democracy. National Police Chief Tito Karnavian said Wednesday’s “smooth and safe” polls would not be disrupted by demonstrations, and warned of arrests. “If there are any illegal or unconstitutional actions that threaten public stability and security, (authorities) will take firm action,” […]
HANOI, Vietnam (AFP) — Police in central Vietnam have seized more than half a ton of methamphetamine in one of the largest drug busts in recent years in the communist country where synthetic drug use is on the rise. Four people were arrested after police stormed a house in central Nghe An province where they found 600 kilograms (1,300 pounds) of meth, some of it stuffed in speaker boxes. The meth shipment was “about to […]
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia’s heavy metal-loving leader Joko Widodo faces off against ex-military general Prabowo Subianto in the race to lead the world’s third-biggest democracy Wednesday, a re-run of the 2014 election contest narrowly won by Widodo. A record 245,000 candidates are running for public office from the presidency down to local legislator positions, including an Olympic gold medallist, a pop diva, a frontman who lost his bandmates and wife in a killer tsunami […]
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysia said Friday a major Chinese-backed railway had been revived following a deal to cut costs, lifting a suspension slapped on the project when a corruption-plagued regime lost power last year. The railway was among several infrastructure projects in Malaysia supported by Beijing but put on hold after the shock defeat of a coalition that had ruled the country for six decades. Critics said the projects lacked transparency, could […]
