Top Asian News 4:59 a.m. GMT

South Korean investigators push to summon impeached president as court set to determine his fate

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean law enforcement authorities are pushing to summon impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol for questioning over his short-lived martial law decree as the Constitutional Court began its first meeting Monday on Yoon’s case to determine whether to remove him from office or reinstate him. A joint investigative team involving police, an anti-corruption agency and the Defense Ministry said it wants to question Yoon on charges of rebellion and abuse of power in connection with his ill-conceived power grab. The team on Monday morning tried to convey a request to Yoon’s office that he appear for questioning on Wednesday but was rerouted to Yoon’s personal residence, Son Yeong-jo, an investigator with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, told reporters.

Filipino woman who was on death row in Indonesia will return home after almost 15 years in prison

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A Filipino woman who was on death row in Indonesia — and was nearly executed by firing squad in 2015 — was moved late Sunday to a female prison in Indonesia’s capital, from where she will be flown back to her home country. Mary Jane Veloso, who spent almost 15 years in an Indonesian prison for drug trafficking, was allowed to return home after Indonesia and the Philippines signed a “practical arrangement” deal on Dec. 6, after a decade of pleading from Manila. In a tearful interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Veloso described the decision as being “like a miracle when I have lost all hope.” “For almost 15 years I was separated from my children and parents, and I could not see my children grow up,” she said.

5 heroin traffickers return to Australia after almost 20 years in Indonesian prisons

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Five Australians who spent almost 20 years in Indonesian prisons for heroin trafficking returned to Australia on Sunday under a deal struck between the two governments, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. The governments confirmed weeks ago that negotiations were underway for Matthew Norman, Scott Rush, Martin Stephens, Si Yi Chen, and Michael Czugaj to be returned to Australia. Their return on Sunday was shrouded in secrecy. There was earlier uncertainty about whether they could potentially serve out their life sentences in Australian prisons. However, Albanese confirmed in a statement Sunday the men returned to Australia as free citizens.

7 foreign tourists hospitalized in Fiji after drinking cocktails at a resort bar

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Seven foreign tourists were hospitalized in Fiji after drinking cocktails at a resort bar, Fijian authorities said on Monday. The cause of their illness was not known and officials said it was too soon to know if tainted alcohol was involved. Those who became ill at the five-star Warwick resort near the town of Sigatoka on Saturday included Australians and an American, according to local news reports. They were hospitalized with nausea, vomiting and neurological symptoms, said Jemesa Tudravu, a Fiji Health Ministry spokesperson. Two people remained in the hospital, conscious and in stable condition, Fiji’s Tourism Minister Viliame R.

Zakir Hussain, one of India’s most accomplished classical musicians, dies at 73

NEW DELHI (AP) — Zakir Hussain, one of India’s most accomplished classical musicians who defied genres and introduced tabla to global audiences, died on Sunday. He was 73. The Indian classical music icon died from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung disease, at a hospital in San Francisco, his family said in a statement. “His prolific work as a teacher, mentor and educator has left an indelible mark on countless musicians. He hoped to inspire the next generation to go further. He leaves behind an unparalleled legacy as a cultural ambassador and one of the greatest musicians of all time,” the statement read.

A look at the South Korean leader who has been impeached after shocking martial law edict

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s parliament has voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, a stunning fall from grace for a man who rose from political obscurity to the height of political power. His decades of achievement could be on the verge of crumbling due to a single, baffling decision to send out troops under martial law over vague claims that one of Asia’s leading democracies was under threat. The impeachment suspends Yoon’s presidential powers until the Constitutional Court determines whether to dismiss him as president or restore his powers. Yoon also faces investigations meant to find whether his Dec.

AP Photos: K-pop light sticks take over protests that fueled impeachment of South Korea’s president

Seoul (AP) — K-pop light sticks, Christmas lights and even Santa Claus outfits have taken over daily protests demanding the ouster of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol following his shocking martial law declaration this month. On Saturday, the country’s parliament voted to impeach Yoon to suspend his powers. The Constitutional Court will determine whether to remove him from office or restore his presidential powers. Yoon’s short-lived Dec. 3 order has sparked massive protests, drawing attention to their unique protest culture. Young demonstrators have taken over the streets with their K-pop light sticks, traditionally reserved for music concerts, to voice their dissent and in turn start a new trend in political protesting.

UN Security Council criticizes Taliban ban on Afghan women’s medical education

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council said Friday it was deeply concerned about the recent decision by Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers to ban women from medical education, which could leave millions of women and girls without health care in the future. The council criticized “the increasing erosion” of human rights under the Taliban, especially for women and girls who have been denied access to education beyond the sixth grade, economic opportunities, participation in public life, freedom of movement and other basics. Authorities previously had not confirmed reports that Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada ordered educational institutions to stop providing medical courses for women.

US Marines start partial transfer from Okinawa in Japan to Guam under plan agreed 12 years ago

TOKYO (AP) — The partial transfer of U.S. Marines from Okinawa to Guam began on Saturday, 12 years after Japan and the United States agreed on their realignment to reduce the heavy burden of American troop presence on the southern Japanese island, officials said. The relocation started with 100 members of III Marine Expeditionary Force stationed on Okinawa moving to the Pacific island for the initial logistical work, the U.S. Marine Corps and Japan’s Defense Ministry said in a joint statement. Under the plan agreed between Tokyo and Washington in April 2012, about 9,000 of the 19,000 Marines currently stationed on Okinawa are to be moved out of Okinawa, including about 4,000 of them to be moved to Guam in phases.

A look at the whirlwind events that led to the impeachment of South Korea’s president

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea’s parliament on Saturday voted to impeach embattled President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived martial law decree this month, a shocking stunt that paralyzed the country’s politics, halted foreign policy and spooked financial markets. His suspension from power comes almost eight years after the impeachment of Seoul’s last conservative leader, Park Geun-hye, formally removed from office by the Constitutional Court in March 2017. Yoon, a former public prosecutor, was part of the investigation team that examined Park’s charges of bribery, abuse of power and other crimes that the court concluded warranted her removal from office.