Top Asian News 4:53 a.m. GMT

20 years after the Indian Ocean tsunami, a boy found in the mud embraces being known as ‘Baby 81'

KURUKKAL MADAM, Sri Lanka (AP) — Pulled from the mud as an infant after the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, and reunited with his parents following an emotional court battle, the boy once known as “Baby 81” is now a 20-year-old dreaming of higher education. Jayarasa Abilash’s story symbolized that of the families torn apart by one of the worst natural calamities in modern history, but it also offered hope. More than 35,000 people in Sri Lanka were killed, with others missing. The 2-month-old baby was washed away by the tsunami in eastern Sri Lanka and found some distance from home by rescuers.

South Korea’s opposition party vows to impeach acting president

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s main opposition party said Tuesday it will seek to impeach acting leader Han Duck-soo after he missed an opposition-set deadline to approve independent investigations into impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife. If realized, Han’s impeachment would further deepen South Korea’s political tumult and worries by neighboring countries caused by Yoon’s stunning Dec. 3 martial law declaration and ensuing impeachment. Han, the country’s No. 2 official, has taken over presidential powers and duties since Yoon’s impeachment. If he’s impeached too, the finance minister is next in line. The main liberal opposition Democratic Party, which holds a majority in parliament, has slammed Han for vetoing several opposition-sponsored bills, including a controversial agriculture bill.

Many Americans have come to rely on Chinese-made drones. Now lawmakers want to ban them

WASHINGTON (AP) — Russell Hedrick, a North Carolina farmer, flies drones to spray fertilizers on his corn, soybean and wheat fields at a fraction of what it would cost him to use a conventional ground spreader. As a volunteer rescuer, Hedrick uses thermal drones to search for people trapped by mudslides and cargo drones to send water and baby formula to those who are stranded — something he did after Hurricane Helene. Now he is fretting that one day he will have to ground his drone fleet. Most commercial drones sold in the United States, including those used by Hedrick, are made in China.

Bangladesh seeks extradition of ousted leader Sheikh Hasina from India

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh has sent a formal request to India to extradite ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to New Delhi in August amid the student-led protests that ended her 15 years in power, the country’s foreign affairs adviser said Monday. Md Touhid Hossain told reporters at his office in Dhaka that the country has sent a diplomatic note to India’s Foreign Ministry. “We have informed India about our request to bring her back for the judicial process,” Hossain said. He didn’t give details. India’s Foreign Ministry said it had received Bangladesh’s request but didn’t immediately provide details.

Australia approves extradition of former US Marine over alleged training of Chinese military pilots

NEWCASTLE, Australia (AP) — Former U.S. Marine Corps pilot Daniel Duggan will be extradited from Australia to the United States over allegations that he illegally trained Chinese aviators. Australia’s Attorney General Mark Dreyfus approved the extradition on Monday, ending the Boston-born 55-year-old’s nearly two-year attempt to avoid being returned to the U.S. Duggan, who served in the Marines for 12 years before immigrating to Australia and giving up his U.S. citizenship, has been in a maximum-security prison since he was arrested in 2022 at his family home in the state of New South Wales. He is the father of six children.

China says Philippine plan to deploy midrange missiles would be ‘extremely irresponsible’

BEIJING (AP) — China said a plan by the Philippines to deploy midrange missiles would be a provocative move that stokes regional tensions. The Philippines top army official told reporters in Manila earlier on Monday that the military plans to acquire a midrange system to defend the country’s territory amid tensions with China in the South China Sea. “Yes, there are plans, there are negotiations, because we see its feasibility and adaptability,” Lt. Gen. Roy Galido said. The U.S. deployed its Typhon midrange missile system in the northern Philippines in April and troops from both countries have been training jointly for the potential use of the heavy weaponry.

Court sentences Cambodian businessman to 31 years in prison for killing of young couple

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A Cambodian real estate entrepreneur, whose high-profile killing of a young couple sparked public outrage, was sentenced Monday to 31 years in prison. The Phnom Penh Municipal Court said the sentence was the maximum for the crimes committed by Srey Sina, who was also ordered to pay more than $2 million in compensation to the victims’ families. Srey Sina, 51, was found guilty of fatally shooting 27-year-old Long Lysong and his fiancée Khin Kanchana, 25, on June 17 while intervening in a property dispute between neighbors in the capital, Phnom Penh. Two other victims in their early 20s sustained minor injuries in the incident, which was captured on video surveillance cameras and the footage circulated widely online.

Congress is looking to ban Chinese drones that are widely used in US. What to know about the debate

WASHINGTON (AP) — The economic and technological rivalry between the United States and China has come to the drone market, where Chinese-made flying devices are a dominant player. Lawmakers in Washington are seeking to ban new sales of drones from two dominant Chinese manufacturers, arguing they could be used to spy on Americans and that the low-cost models are hurting the U.S. drone industry. A defense bill that passed Congress last week would bar new Chinese drones from DJI Technology and Autel Robotics should a review find them to pose an “unacceptable” risk to U.S. national security. But American users, from police officers to farmers, mappers and filmmakers, have come to rely on Chinese-made drones, especially those by DJI.

Trauma lingers on for survivors of the deadly tsunami that hit Thailand 20 years ago

BAN NAM KHEM, Thailand (AP) — The 20-year-old freshman student was still asleep that Sunday morning at the family’s house on the Andaman Sea coast of southern Thailand when her mom, sensing something wasn’t right, woke her up saying they needed to leave right away. The day is forever seared in Neungduangjai Sritrakarn’s memory: Dec. 26, 2004, the day the deadly Indian Ocean tsunami struck across South and Southeast Asia, after a 9.1 magnitude earthquake off the west coast of Indonesia’s Sumatra island. It was one of modern history’s worst natural disasters. Neungduangjai’s mom had noticed a strange pattern of whitecaps on the sea, just as a relative who returned from a fishing trip came by to warn them.

AP PHOTOS: The scars of a 9.1 earthquake and tsunami continue to haunt Indians for decades

NAGAPATTINAM, India (AP) — He was a young boy playing cricket with friends on a beach around 9:30 in the morning when a 9.1 magnitude earthquake violently shook the earth, and a tsunami struck from Indonesia to India two decades ago. Life changed for Yusuf Ansari, now a 32-year-old motor rickshaw driver. “Out of nowhere, we saw a boat tossed by the waves, followed by a massive rush of dark water and a big wave of water. It all happened so fast. Everyone around panicked. They didn’t even think about their boats or homes,” Ansari said, adding that everyone just ran to higher ground as quickly as possible.