Thailand has ordered an investigation into illegal surrogate birth services be extended to China after raids this week netted two alleged Chinese ringleaders.Police Major General Torsak Sukvimol said Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha ordered police to find the babies born under the surrogacy operation and determine whether human trafficking gangs were involved.“He’s concerned that the babies could be in the hands of human organ-selling gangs,” said Torsak, who is deputy commissioner of the…
Coronavirus: Vietnam ‘blocks two cruise ships from docking to keep out infection’
Vietnam has blocked two cruise ships from docking amid fears of coronavirus infections on board, according to state media, ship tracking websites and messages posted to social media by passengers.Authorities in Quang Ninh province, home to the Unesco World Heritage Site Ha Long Bay, decided on Tuesday not to allow passengers of the German-owned AIDAvita cruise ship to disembark on Thursday, the state Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.“The vessel has docked in the Philippines, Malaysia and…
Universities with thousands of Chinese students brace for pain from coronavirus travel bans
Universities with large numbers of international students from China are scrambling to readjust schedules and provide alternative study options in response to the coronavirus outbreak, as they brace for what are shaping up to be huge losses from cancelled enrolments.Some 100,000 Chinese students enrolled at universities in Australia and about 6,500 more studying in New Zealand remain stranded in China ahead of the start of the southern hemisphere’s academic year in late February and March,…
Xi Jinping assures Malaysia’s Mahathir that China will minimise impact of coronavirus
China will definitely be able to minimise the impact of the coronavirus outbreak and will maintain the development momentum of its economy, President Xi Jinping said on Thursday.State media reported that Xi told Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in a telephone call that China has taken strict measures to curb the virus and treatment methods continue to see breakthroughs.“We will also be able to minimise the impact of the epidemic, maintain the momentum of China’s economic development…
After Philippines scraps US defence pact, Rodrigo Duterte eyes Russian arms
Russia has moved to help the Philippine military train and arm its troops, a day after Manila scrapped a defence agreement with the United States in a bid to be more militarily independent.The Duterte administration on Tuesday announced it would terminate the 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), which sets the terms for joint exercises and engagement of American soldiers in the Philippines, as it seeks to “strengthen our own defences and not rely on any other country”.On Wednesday, a Russian…
Coronavirus: Westerdam cruise ship allowed to dock in Cambodia, after being stranded at sea
Cambodia has agreed to let a cruise ship, that has been turned away by five countries over fears that someone aboard may have the coronavirus, to dock and disembark its passengers, the Holland America Line said on Wednesday.The MS Westerdam, which has 1,455 passengers and 802 crew on board, will dock at the Cambodian seaport of Sihanoukville on at 7am on Thursday, the company said. It will remain in port for several days for disembarkation and guests will be able to go ashore.“Guests will…
Vietnamese truck victims died from lack of oxygen and overheating, British police say
The 39 Vietnamese migrants found in the back of a truck in Britain last year died of lack of oxygen and overheating, police said on Tuesday, citing provisional autopsy results.The victims were found dead in a refrigerated trailer in the county of Essex, east of London, on October 23 last year after having been transported by ferry from Belgium.“All postmortem examinations have now been completed and we await the final reports for all 39 victims,” Essex police said in a statement.“The…
1MDB scandal: Jho Low faces new charges of criminal conspiracy
Fugitive financier Jho Low faces new charges in Malaysia along with PetroSaudi International directors Tarek Obaid and Patrick Mahony over their alleged roles in the 1MDB scandal.The three are accused of engaging in criminal conspiracy with Malaysia’s former prime minister Najib Razak, while Mahony and Obaid face additional money laundering charges for allegedly receiving US$300 million from 1MDB through unlawful activity, according to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. The charges were…
Singapore detains 17-year-old boy for supporting Islamic State after being radicalised online
A 17-year-old Singaporean secondary school student has been detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for supporting the terrorist group Islamic State (Isis), the ministry of home affairs (MHA) said on Monday.He was first investigated in September 2017 when he was 15 years old, after he posted defaced images of President Halimah Yacob on social media and called on Isis to behead her for supporting Singapore, which he viewed as an “infidel” state, the ministry said. He had been radicalised…
In the Philippines, Capas residents are up in arms over quarantine plans for overseas Filipino workers
Residents of Capas town in the province of Tarlac, north of Manila, have become the reluctant hosts of 49 Filipinos under watch for possible coronavirus infection, with some worried for their health while others are concerned over the possible economic impact on the town. Of those quarantined in New Clark City at the Athletes’ Village that was purpose built for the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, 30 are overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who arrived from Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak, on…