Five Stories from Asia You May Have Missed
(I've decided to branch out a bit)
1. SARS not the mysterious respiratory illness infecting dozens in China, authorities say
The 2002/03 SARS epidemic started in southern China and killed more than 700 people in mainland China, Hong Kong and elsewhere.
Fears of a SARS recurrence arose this month after a slate of patients were hospitalised with an unexplained viral pneumonia in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province.
As of Sunday, 59 people were diagnosed with the condition and had been isolated while they received treatment, according to the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission.
Seven were in critical condition, while the rest were stable.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-06/mysterious-illness-in-china-is-not-sars/11843068?section=world
2. Laos Cracks Down on Ivory, Rhino Horn Sales in Luang Prabang
Authorities in the Luang Prabang province of northern Laos have stepped up controls over the sale of ivory, rhinoceros horn, and other illegal wildlife products, seizing large quantities of banned goods over the last three years and warning Chinese tourists against their purchase, sources say.
More than 200 kilograms of prohibited wildlife products were confiscated in Luang Prabang in 2017, 2018, and 2019, an official from the province’s Agriculture and Forestry Department told RFA’s Lao Service at the end of the year.
“We seized most of these items from souvenir stores owned by Chinese who come to Laos to set up their businesses, and we have told them to stop selling these things,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“Now there is no more ivory, rhino horn, or tiger bone on display for sale, and facsimile items made from rubber or plastic are also banned,” the official said, adding that though stores are now closely watched and inspected, “these items are very small.”
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/laos/ivory-01032020133359.html
3. Cambodia building collapse kills at least 24, others still trapped
The seven-storey concrete building collapsed on Friday in the coastal town of Kep, about 160 kilometres south-west of the capital Phnom Penh.
It came a year after another construction site collapsed, killing 28 people in Preah Sihanouk province.
"Twenty-four people have died so far," Kep Governor Ken Satha said.
"Three of the bodies are not yet at hospital, they have not been pulled out yet."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-05/cambodia-building-collapse-kills-at-least-24-others-trapped/11841946?section=world
4. Malaysia Stands by Claim to Increase South China Sea Territory
Malaysia stands by its request to extend its boundary farther into the South China Sea, Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah told reporters Friday, acknowledging Chinese opposition to the move and the potential for the case to lead to arbitration before the United Nations.
The government submitted a claim to the U.N. on Dec. 12 to increase Malaysia’s continental shelf beyond the standard 200 nautical miles off the northernmost point of Malaysian Borneo, according to submission documents viewed by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.
In 2009, Malaysia and Vietnam jointly petitioned the U.N. to extend their boundaries into the South China Sea, in an area between their respective Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs).
“We expected China to object, but it is our claim and we will maintain our claim,” Saifuddin told reporters in Putrajaya, Malaysia’s administrative capital.
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/malaysia-southchinasea-01032020181448.html
5. Jakarta floods: recovery effort begins as city counts cost of worst deluge in a decade
Mudslides and power blackouts have hampered the search for people missing in massive floods in Indonesia’s capital, where more than 60 people have died and some of the tens of thousands of evacuees are living in damp, cramped emergency shelters.
More than 1,000 soldiers and health workers sprayed disinfectant in hard-hit areas on Sunday to fend off the spread of disease. Monsoon rains and rising rivers submerged a dozen districts in the greater Jakarta area after extreme New Year’s Eve rains, causing landslides in hilly areas on the outskirts of the capital that buried scores of people.
It’s the worst flooding in the area since 2007, when 80 people were killed over 10 days. More rain is forecast, with the potential for more extreme rainfall in the next month.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/06/jakarta-floods-indonesia-recovery-effort-begins-as-city-counts-cost-of-worst-deluge-in-a-decade
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