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International News

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From The Asian Reporter, V18, #21 (May 27, 2008), page 2.

Philippine police told to smile ... or else

MANILA, The Philippines (AP) — Philippine police officers were recently instructed to smile in public or face suspension in an attempt to spruce up their image as rough and rude. The new guidelines were announced after one of the country’s bloodiest weeks in crime, when 10 people were lined up and shot dead during a bank robbery and a man went on a killing spree in a farming town that left eight residents dead. "We are encouraging policemen to be community friendly," police director Leopoldo Bataoil said. "There is no place for rough and brusque officers in this organization." He said police were responding to public complaints over officers’ behavior at road checkpoints. "Good morning. Good afternoon. Good evening. Sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you so much. Sir/Ma’am ... these are words of courtesy which the public wants to hear from us," Bataoil said. He said officers who fail to follow the guidelines will be charged administratively and face suspension.

Thieves wearing nothing but briefs break into home

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — An official said five robbers have baffled Malaysian police by breaking into a house while clad only in underwear. Miri town police chief Jamaludin Ibrahim said the men were armed with knives and gave three family members a rude awakening before dawn in their home in the eastern state of Sarawak. "All of them came in with underwear only and covered their faces with t-shirts," he said, adding that authorities don’t know why the suspects were dressed that way. He said the suspects tied up their victims and fled with cash, watches, and cell phones.

U.S. World War II bomb defused in Tokyo

TOKYO (AP) — A fire official said more than 16,000 people were evacuated from a Tokyo suburb while an unexploded 1-ton bomb was defused. The bomb was believed to have been dropped by the U.S. military during World War II. The rusty bomb was defused by a team from Japan’s Self-Defense Force in Chofu, on the outskirts of Tokyo, said Tokyo Fire Department official Shigeru Ishikawa. "Residents stayed at nearby public schools for evacuation," Ishikawa said. About 16,490 people had to leave their homes for about two hours, he said. The bomb, believed to have been dropped by a B-29 bomber, was found by construction workers in March.

Vietnam deports American pro-democracy activist

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam has deported an American man of Vietnamese origin who was sentenced to six months in jail on terrorism charges for planning to circulate anti-government pamphlets, state media said. Nguyen Quoc Quan, a mathematician from Sacramento, California, was expelled from Ho Chi Minh City, the Vietnam News Agency reported. Quan was among several people arrested last November at a house in the city. Authorities said they were preparing to circulate anti-government pamphlets on behalf of Viet Tan, a California-based group that Vietnam considers a terrorist organization. Viet Tan says it promotes nonviolent political change in communist Vietnam. U.S. Ambassador Michael Michalak has said he has seen no evidence the group is engaged in terrorism. Also arrested in November were American citizen Truong Van Ba from Hawaii and French journalist Nguyen Thi Thanh Van. Ba, whose American name is Leon Truong, and Van were released in December. Vietnamese authorities said Quan entered the country on a forged Cambodian passport. He was sentenced then deported after being given credit for time served while awaiting trial.

Mob sets fire to alleged thieves in Pakistan

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani police say bus passengers caught and set fire to two alleged thieves, just three days after a mob killed three suspected robbers in a similar fashion. Police officer Naveed Khwaja said the two men snatched money, watches, and cell phones at gunpoint on a bus in the southern city of Karachi. Khwaja said passengers pursued them when they tried to escape, beat them, doused them with gasoline, and then set them on fire. He said the two men were hospitalized with serious burns. Previously, residents of a Karachi apartment building set fire to three alleged robbers, killing them all. Pakistan’s new government has vowed to improve law and order in Karachi, a crime-infested city of 15 million.

Thousands protest against planned increase in fuel prices

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Thousands marched through Indonesia’s capital to protest government plans to raise fuel prices by up to 30 percent. They urged President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to refrain from slashing subsidies, which have long made fuel products affordable to millions of the nation’s poor. But with global oil prices surging, he said the government has no other choice. Approximately 2,000 students, taxi drivers, and housewives chanted "Reject any fuel hike" as they headed to the presidential palace, clogging traffic for hours. They said plans to increases prices by up to 30 percent have already caused the cost of staple foods, electricity, and public transportation to skyrocket. "We are the ones who suffer, not officials," said Masinton, one of the protest organizers. He, like many Indonesians, goes by only one name. "We want the government to realize how hard life already is for us." The government has pointed out that fuel subsidies are also enjoyed by the rich, who are spending just under half a dollar for a liter of gasoline. It has promised to cushion the blow to the poor by giving them cash handouts over the coming months. Oil on the New York Mercantile Exchange is selling for more than $127 a barrel.